Ruby the Red Fairy (9780545307833) Read online

  Ruby looked upset. “Jack Frost’s magic was very strong,” she said. “The wind from his spell blew my sisters right out of the pot. We were still spinning through the sky, and all at once they were gone.” Ruby shook her head. “I was at the bottom, so I was safe. But I was trapped when the pot landed upside down. In the dark, I was frightened and alone. My fairy magic wouldn’t even work!”

  “So are your sisters somewhere on Rainspell?” Kirsty asked.

  Ruby nodded. “Yes, but I think they’re scattered all over the island. I’m sure Jack Frost’s spell has trapped them, too.” She flew toward Kirsty and landed on her shoulder. “That’s where you and Rachel come in.”

  “How?” Rachel asked.

  “You found me, didn’t you?” the fairy went on. “That’s because you believe in magic.” She flew from Kirsty’s shoulder to Rachel’s. “So, you could rescue my Rainbow sisters, too! Once we’re together, we can bring color back to Fairyland again.”

  “Of course we’ll search for your sisters,” Kirsty said quickly. “Won’t we, Rachel?”

  Rachel nodded.

  “Oh, thank you!” Ruby said happily.

  “But we’re only here for a week,” Rachel said. “Will that be long enough?”

  “We have to get started right away,” said Ruby. “First, I must take you to Fairyland to meet our king and queen. They will be very pleased to know that you are going to help me find my sisters.”

  Rachel and Kirsty stared at Ruby.

  “You’re taking us to Fairyland?” Kirsty gasped. She could hardly believe her ears.

  “But how will we get there?” Rachel wanted to know.

  “We’ll fly,” Ruby replied.

  “But we can’t fly!” Rachel pointed out.

  Ruby smiled. She whirled up into the air over the girls’ heads. Then she swirled her wand above them. Magic red fairy dust fluttered down.

  Rachel and Kirsty began to feel a bit strange. Were the trees getting bigger or were they getting smaller?

  They were getting smaller!

  Smaller and smaller and smaller, until they were the same size as Ruby.

  “I’m tiny!” Rachel laughed. She was so small, the flowers around her seemed as big as trees.

  Kirsty twisted around to look at her back. She had wings — shiny and delicate as a butterfly’s!

  Ruby beamed at them. “Now you can fly,” she said. “Let’s go.”

  Rachel twitched her shoulders. Her wings fluttered, and she rose up into the air. She felt quite wobbly at first. Flying was not at all like walking!

  “Help!” Kirsty yelled, as she shot up into the air. “I’m not very good at this!”

  “Come on,” said Ruby, taking their hands. “I’ll help you.” She led them up out of the meadow.

  From the air, Rachel looked down on Rainspell Island. She could see the cottages next to the beach, and the harbor.

  “Where is Fairyland, Ruby?” Kirsty asked. They were flying higher and higher, up into the clouds.

  “It’s so far away that no human could ever find it,” Ruby said.

  They flew on through the clouds for a long, long time. But at last Ruby turned to them and smiled. “We’re here,” she said. “Luckily, while we’re in Fairyland, no time passes in your world. No one will even know you were gone!”

  As they flew down from the clouds, Kirsty and Rachel saw places they recognized from the pond picture: the palace, the hillsides with their toadstool houses, the river. But there were no bright colors now. Because of Jack Frost’s spell, everything was a drab shade of gray.

  A few fairies walked miserably across the hillsides. Their wings hung limply down their backs. No one even had the energy to fly.

  Suddenly, one of the fairies glanced up into the sky. “Look!” she shouted. “It’s Ruby. She’s come back!”

  At once, the fairies flew up toward Ruby, Kirsty, and Rachel. They circled around Ruby, looking much happier, and asking lots of questions.

  “Have you come from Rainspell, Ruby?”

  “Where are the other Rainbow Fairies?”

  “Who are your friends?”

  “First, we must see the king and queen. Then I will tell you everything!” Ruby promised.

  King Oberon and Queen Titania were seated on their thrones. Their palace was as gray and gloomy as everything else in Fairyland. But they smiled warmly when Ruby arrived with Rachel and Kirsty.

  “Welcome back, Ruby,” the queen said. "We have missed you.”

  “Your Majesties, I have found two humans who believe in magic!” Ruby announced. “These are my new friends, Kirsty and Rachel.”

  Quickly, Ruby explained what had happened to the other Rainbow Fairies. She told everyone how Rachel and Kirsty had rescued her.

  “You have our thanks,” the king told them. “Our Rainbow Fairies are very special to us.”

  “And will you help us to find Ruby’s Rainbow sisters?” the queen asked.

  “Yes, we will,” Kirsty said.

  “But how will we know where to look?” Rachel asked.

  “The trick is not to look too hard,” said Queen Titania. “Don’t worry. As you enjoy the rest of your vacation, the magic you need to find each Rainbow Fairy will find you. Just wait and see.”

  King Oberon rubbed his beard thoughtfully. “You have six days of your vacation left, and six fairies to find,” he said. “A fairy each day. That’s a lot of fairy-finding. You will need some special help.” He nodded at one of his footmen, a plump frog in a buttoned-up jacket.

  The frog hopped over to Rachel and Kirsty and handed them each a tiny, silver bag.

  “The bags contain magic tools,” the queen told them. “Don’t look inside them yet. Open them only when you really need to, and you will find something to help you.” She smiled at Kirsty and Rachel.

  “Look!” shouted another frog footman suddenly. “Ruby is beginning to fade!”

  Rachel and Kirsty looked at Ruby in horror. The fairy was growing paler before their eyes. Her lovely dress was no longer red, but pink, and her golden hair was turning white.

  “Jack Frost’s magic is still at work,” said the king, looking worried. “We cannot undo his spell until the Rainbow Fairies are all together again.”

  “Quickly, Ruby!” urged the queen. “You must return to Rainspell at once.”

  Ruby, Kirsty, and Rachel rose into the air, their wings fluttering.

  “Don’t worry!” Kirsty called, as they flew higher. “We’ll come back with all the Rainbow Fairies very soon!”

  “Good luck!” called the king and queen.

  Rachel and Kirsty watched Ruby worriedly as they all flew off together. As they got farther away from Fairyland, Ruby’s color began to return. Soon she was bright and sparkling again.

  The three girls reached Rainspell at last. Ruby led Rachel and Kirsty to the clearing in the woods, and they landed next to the old, black pot. Then Ruby scattered fairy dust over Rachel and Kirsty. There was a puff of glittering red smoke, and the two girls shot up to their normal size again. Rachel wriggled her shoulders. Yes, her wings were gone.

  “Oh, I really loved being a fairy,” Kirsty said.

  They watched as Ruby sprinkled her magic dust over the old, black pot.

  “What are you doing?” Rachel asked.

  “Jack Frost’s magic means that I can’t help you look for my sisters,” Ruby replied sadly. “If I try, I might fade away completely. So I will wait for you here, in the pot at the end of the rainbow.”

  Suddenly, the pot began to move. It rolled across the grass and stopped under the weeping willow tree. The tree’s branches hung right down to the ground.

  “The pot will be hidden under that tree,” Ruby explained. “I’ll be safe there.”

  “We’
d better start looking for the other Rainbow Fairies,” Rachel said to Kirsty. "Where shall we start?”

  Ruby shook her head. “Remember what the queen said,” she told them. “The magic will come to you.” She flew over and sat on the edge of the pot. Then she pushed aside one of the willow branches and waved at Rachel and Kirsty. “Good-bye, and good luck!”

  “We’ll be back soon, Ruby,” Kirsty promised.

  “We’re going to find all of your Rainbow sisters,” Rachel said firmly. “Just you wait and see!”

  Ruby is safely hidden in the pot at the end of the rainbow. Now Rachel and Kirsty must find

  Amber The Orange Fairy!

  They don’t have much time! Join their adventure in this special sneak peek. . . .

  “What a beautiful day!” Rachel Walker shouted, staring up at the blue sky. She and her friend Kirsty Tate were running along Rainspell Island’s yellow, sandy beach. Their parents walked a little way behind them.

  “It’s a magical day,” Kirsty added. The two friends smiled at each other.

  Rachel and Kirsty had come to Rainspell Island for their vacations. But they soon found out it really was a magical place!

  As they ran, they passed tide pools that sparkled like jewels in the sunshine.

  Rachel spotted a little splash! in one of the pools. “There’s something in there, Kirsty!” She pointed. “Let’s go look.”

  The girls jogged over to the pool and crouched down to see.

  Kirsty’s heart thumped as she gazed into the crystal-clear water. “What is it?” she asked.

  Suddenly, the water rippled. A little brown crab scuttled sideways across the sandy bottom and disappeared under a rock.

  Kirsty felt disappointed. “I thought it might be another Rainbow Fairy,” she said.

  “So did I.” Rachel sighed. “Never mind. We’ll keep looking.”

  “Of course we will,” Kirsty agreed. Then she put her finger to her lips as their parents came up behind them. “Shhh.”

  Kirsty and Rachel had a big secret. They were helping to find the seven missing Rainbow Fairies. Jack Frost put a wicked spell on the fairies and trapped them on Rainspell Island. The Rainbow Fairies made Fairyland bright and colorful. Until they were all found, Fairyland would be dark and gray.

  Rachel looked at the shimmering blue sea. “Do you want to go swimming?” she asked.

  But Kirsty wasn’t listening. She was shading her eyes with her hand and looking farther along the beach. “Look over there, Rachel — by those rocks,” she said.

  Then Rachel could see it, too — something glittering and sparkling in the sunshine. “Wait for me!” she called, as Kirsty hurried down the beach.

  When they saw what it was, the two friends sighed in disappointment.

  “It’s just the wrapper from a chocolate bar,” Rachel said sadly. She bent down and picked up the shiny purple foil.

  Kirsty thought for a moment. “Do you remember what the Fairy Queen told us?” she asked.

  Rachel nodded. “Let the magic come to you,” she said. “You’re right, Kirsty. We should just enjoy our vacation, and wait for the magic to happen.”

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  e-ISBN 978-0-545-30783-3

  Copyright © 2003 by Rainbow Magic Limited.

  Illustrations copyright © 2003 by Georgie Ripper.

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, by arrangement with Rainbow Magic Limited.

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  First Scholastic printing, May 2005

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