“Hooray!” shouted Rachel and Kirsty, as Alicia twirled upward, clutching the snowflake to her chest and laughing happily. Below, Jack Frost shouted and stamped in fury. He kicked the statue and then hopped around, holding his toe and shouting.
Rachel and Kirsty flew up beside Alicia as the snow in Jack Frost’s garden grew icy again, and new, crusty icicles appeared on the castle.
“Look,” said Alicia, pointing at the distant hills of Fairyland.
The muddy snow had turned to brilliant white, and they could see that some of the fairies had come outside to start a friendly snowball fight.
“It’s a proper Fairyland winter again,” said Kirsty with relief. “Thank goodness!”
“It’s all thanks to you and Rachel,” said Alicia. “I will return my magical snowflake to my tower and send you both home.”
“But what about your other magical objects?” Rachel asked. “We want to help you get them back, too.”
“Thank you, my dear friends,” said Alicia, smiling at them. “That would be wonderful. I will come and find you again soon. But for now, good-bye!”
She waved her wand, and everything around the girls began to shimmer.
A few seconds later, they were standing once more in Rachel’s backyard.
“What an exciting adventure!” said Kirsty, sounding a little breathless.
“The gray clouds are floating away,” said Rachel, looking up. “The sun’s coming out, too. We did it, Kirsty!”
The girls held hands and spun around in the winter sunshine.
“We just have to be ready to find the other magical objects,” Kirsty said. “Jack Frost still has the enchanted mirror and the everlasting rose.”
“We’ll help Alicia get them back,” said Rachel. “And I can’t wait to see her again!”
A Frosty Night
Fairies in Danger
Bewitched!
Turning Up the Heat
Bad Is Good!
“It’s another chilly evening,” said Mr. Walker. “Let’s light the fire.”
Night had fallen, and a cold wind was rattling the windows of the Walkers’ house. Rachel and Kirsty were curled up on the sofa with Buttons the dog between them. They watched Mr. Walker kneel down beside the fire, scrunch up some newspapers, make a pyramid of sticks, and add a match.
Soon, orange flames were leaping up from the grate, and the girls were feeling snug and sleepy. They sipped the hot chocolate that Mrs. Walker had made and smiled at each other. It had been a wonderful day. They had met Alicia the Snow Queen Fairy and helped her to rescue the magical snowflake from Jack Frost. Best of all, they felt sure that more adventures were on the way.
“This is what I love about winter,” said Kirsty as the fire crackled. “Snuggling up beside a cozy fire makes up for all the cold weather.”
Mrs. Walker glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece.
“Girls, don’t go upstairs and get ready for bed,” she said. “It’s important that you get as little sleep as possible so that you will be too tired to play tomorrow.”
Rachel and Kirsty looked up, feeling confused.
“Don’t you mean that you want us to go to bed?” Rachel asked.
Mrs. Walker shook her head as if she had been daydreaming. “Of course you need to go to bed,” she said with a puzzled expression. “I made a mistake.”
Kirsty and Rachel made their way upstairs, feeling unsettled. As they were getting into their pajamas, Kirsty frowned.
“That was an odd mistake for your mom to make,” she said. “Do you think it could have anything to do with the fact that Alicia’s enchanted mirror is missing?”
“What makes you think that?” Rachel asked.
“Alicia said that the magic mirror helps people think and see clearly,” said Kirsty. “Maybe now that Jack Frost has it, everybody is getting confused.”
Before Rachel could reply, the girls heard a tinkling noise. Then there was a faint tapping at the window, and they both jumped.
“Hurry, open the curtains!” said Rachel, feeling excited. “I think that might be magic!”
Together, the girls pulled open the curtains. The window was covered in frost, in the most beautiful patterns they had ever seen. There were loops and swirls, delicate flowers, and sparkling stars. Through a snowflake shape, they saw a tiny, beautiful face peering at them and waving. It was Alicia!
Rachel opened the window, and Alicia fluttered inside. Her long blue gown was sparkling with frost as well as sequins.
“It’s nice to see you, Alicia!” said Kirsty. “But why are you out on such a bitterly cold night?”
“I’m here to ask for your help again,” said Alicia. “Things are bad in the human world … and even worse in Fairyland.”
“Is it because of your missing mirror?” Rachel asked.
Alicia nodded, tears glistening on her tiny eyelashes.
“People and fairies are getting confused between good and bad,” she said.
“Rachel’s mom got confused about bedtime earlier,” said Kirsty.
“It will only get worse as long as Jack Frost has my enchanted mirror,” said Alicia. “Some of the fairies are already in danger.”
“What do you mean?” asked Rachel in alarm.
“Jack Frost is angry with me because I fooled him with the Snow Queen statue,” Alicia explained. “He has used my enchanted mirror to trick some of the young fairies from the Fairyland School. He has made them go to work for him at his castle.”
Rachel and Kirsty were horrified.
“Fairies working in the Ice Castle?” said Kirsty. “We have to do something to help them!”
Rachel nodded in agreement.
“Come to Fairyland with me now,” Alicia said, stretching her arms wide. “Together we must stop Jack Frost and his mischievous plans!”
Alicia raised her wand and smiled. Almost at once, Kirsty and Rachel felt warm all over, as if cloaks had been wrapped around them. They looked down and saw that they were shrinking to fairy size. Alicia had given each of them a long, fluffy coat with a snuggly hood, and their fairy wings were already fluttering on their backs.
Just then, they heard footsteps on the stairs outside.
“It’s my mom!” said Rachel. “She’s coming to say goodnight—we have to go before she sees us.”
“Don’t worry,” said Alicia, lifting her wand again. “Remember, while you’re in Fairyland, time stands still in the human world. And my magic will take you to Fairyland in the blink of an eye!”
And as the girls blinked, they were whooshed off their feet and twirled around in the air. Their heads spinning, they opened their eyes and found themselves standing on the battlements of the Ice Castle. Stars were glittering above, lighting up two goblin guards who were pacing toward them.
“Quick, hide!” Alicia whispered.
They darted behind a turret just in time. The goblin guards walked right up to it and paused.
“I don’t like the night shift,” said the tallest goblin. “It’s too cold.”
“You’re just scared of the dark,” said the second goblin with a snicker.
“Am not!” the tallest goblin shouted. “You’re the one who ran away from your own shadow last week!”
Two more goblin guards appeared out of the gloom.
“Hey, you two lazybones,” said one of them. “Why aren’t you marching up and down?”
“It’s too chilly for marching,” said the tallest goblin.
“It’s too chilly to be outside at all,” said one of the others.
Behind the turret, Rachel had an idea. She whispered in Alicia’s ear, and the Snow Queen Fairy nodded. She waved her wand and whispered,
“Winter treats for goblins four!
Snacks to eat and drinks to pour.
Let them guzzle, gulp, and gobble.
We’ll sneak inside while they all squabble!”
A single sparkle of fairy dust came dancing out of her wand and made a swirly loop toward the goblins. It
hit the ground in front of them with a bang, and a camping stool instantly appeared with four sheepskin-lined chairs. On the table were four fuzzy scarves, four mugs of creamy, bubbling hot chocolate, and a tin of marshmallows. On the side of the box, in ice-blue writing, were the words, LOVE FROM JACK FROST.
“Hooray!” shouted the tallest goblin. “Jack Frost is the best!”
Rachel clapped her hands together in delight as the goblins hurried over to the table. Soon, all four of them were slurping the hot chocolate and cramming marshmallows into their mouths. They were so busy enjoying the treats that they didn’t notice the fairies flutter past them. Rachel, Kirsty, and Alicia landed in front of the door that led from the battlements into the castle. It was locked and bolted.
“What should we do?” asked Kirsty with a groan.
“We won’t let a little thing like a locked door stop us,” said Alicia with a sudden grin.
She lightly touched the padlock on the door with her wand, and it sprang open. The chain dropped to the floor with a crash, and Rachel and Kirsty glanced around at the goblins, worried that they might have heard.
“Don’t worry about them,” said Alicia. “Those scarves are magical—they stop the wearer from hearing anything.”
The door swung open and the three fairies flew in, listening for any signs of Jack Frost. Sure enough, they could hear a loud, angry voice from further in the castle.
“It’s Jack Frost,” said Rachel. “I’d know that voice anywhere.”
“You fairies need to work harder!” they heard Jack Frost shout. “No stopping! No resting! Clean this castle from top to bottom!”
Rachel, Kirsty, and Alicia exchanged determined glances. They had to save the fairies!
Rachel, Kirsty, and Alicia zoomed along dirty hallways and down damp stairwells, as Jack Frost’s yells echoed around them.
“Which way is he?” asked Alicia, covering her ears. “His voice seems to be coming from all directions at once!”
“That way, I think!” said Kirsty, pointing along a wide hallway. “It leads to the Throne Room.”
They flew a little farther, and stopped when they came to a corner. The shouting was very loud now. They peeked around it and saw five young fairies on their hands and knees in the hallway, scrubbing the floor. Jack Frost was watching them with his arms folded.
“Faster!” he shouted. “I want to be able to see my face shining in this floor when I get back!”
He turned and strode away, his cloak billowing out behind him.
“Look at the pocket of his cloak!” said Rachel.
Five fairy wands were sticking out of his pocket.
“He’s taken their wands!” Kirsty said in a horrified whisper.
Alicia darted around the corner and flew over to the nearest fairy.
“We’re here to rescue you,” she said. “Come with us!”
But the little fairy shook her head. “I’m happy here,” she said. “This is really fun.”
Rachel and Kirsty fluttered over to stand beside another fairy.
“You’re shivering,” said Rachel. “You must be freezing. Come with us, and Alicia will use her special magic to warm you up.”
“Oh no, I love the cold,” said the fairy, her teeth chattering. “Please, leave us here. We want to stay with Jack Frost. He’s so nice to us.”
She tried to smile, but her eyes were full of tears. Despite her words, she seemed to be pleading with the girls. She looked very confused.
“It’s as if they’re saying the opposite of what they really feel,” said Kirsty.
“They are,” said Alicia in a serious voice, gazing into the fairy’s eyes. “Try to remember,” she said. “Did Jack Frost make you look into a mirror?”
The fairy nodded, then shook her head, then nodded again.
“Why would they agree to come here with him?” Kirsty wondered.
“They are very young fairies, and Jack Frost has used the enchanted mirror to confuse and bewitch them,” said Alicia. “They won’t see him clearly until the enchanted mirror is back where it belongs—with me!”
“We have to help them,” said Rachel. “I can’t bear to see them doing all this work for ungrateful Jack Frost.”
“Until I have my mirror back, no one in the human or fairy worlds will be able to tell the difference between good and bad,” said Alicia. “The fairies will not want to leave the Ice Castle. To help them, we have to find Jack Frost and take back my mirror!”
It felt awful leaving the five fairies scrubbing the floor, but they had to find Jack Frost. They flew as fast as they could, and caught a glimpse of him just outside the Throne Room. Kirsty looked at the wands in his pocket and frowned.
“There is something else in his pocket with the wands,” she said.
“I can see a silver handle,” Rachel added, as Jack Frost went through the door.
“My enchanted mirror has a silver handle,” said Alicia. “Maybe we’ve found it! Hurry, girls!”
They zoomed after him and darted through the door just before it closed. Jack Frost was sitting bolt upright on his throne, glaring at three young fairies who were hovering in front of him. Their hands were clasped behind them. There were no goblins to be seen. Rachel, Kirsty, and Alicia slipped out of sight behind a long curtain.
“I want your wands,” Jack Frost was saying to the fairies, holding out his hand. “Give them to me now!”
The fairies did as they were told, and Jack Frost shoved the wands into his pocket. As he did so, Alicia saw the silver handle and nodded.
“That’s my enchanted mirror!” she whispered.
“You are my new servants,” Jack Frost told the young fairies. “I’m fed up with goblins. I want one of you to get a pen and some paper—I’m going to write a book about how I defeated you and took over Fairyland. Write down everything I say, and don’t miss a single word or you’ll be in big trouble!”
The smallest fairy curtsied. She then rushed off to find a pen and a scroll. “I’m ready,” she said.
“Once, a lot of pesky fairies ruled Fairyland,” Jack Frost began. “But then something wonderful happened. Me! With my amazing magic, I controlled all the fairies and told them what to do. Here’s how I did it … ”
“He’s so interested in the sound of his own voice, he might not notice if I take the mirror,” Kirsty whispered.
“Be careful!” Alicia exclaimed.
Kirsty nodded, and fluttered over to stand behind the throne. Rachel and Alicia watched and held their breath as Kirsty reached toward Jack Frost’s pocket. She was almost touching the handle of the enchanted mirror!
Jack Frost shivered and pulled his cloak tightly around him. Now the pocket was out of Kirsty’s reach. She flew back behind the curtain, and Rachel squeezed her hand.
“Maybe if the room were warmer, he would take off his cloak,” she said.
“Could you make it warmer in here, Alicia?” Kirsty asked.
As Alicia flourished her wand, shimmering hot air streamed out of it, coiling and swirling around the room. Jack Frost was so busy talking about himself, he didn’t notice that the Throne Room was getting warmer … and warmer … and warmer.
“I don’t like to boast,” Jack Frost was saying, “but I have the biggest brain in the whole universe, and it was only a matter of time before I found a way to take all the power from Queen Titania and King Oberon.”
His cloak fell open and then slipped to the floor behind the throne.
“Now!” Alicia whispered.
They darted over to the cloak and shook it, searching for the pocket. But the wands fell out, clicking against one another. The girls heard the sound of Jack Frost sucking air in between his teeth. They looked up to see Jack Frost leaning over the back of his throne, glaring at them.
“Thieves!” he yelled.
He leaped over the back of the throne. Rachel and Alicia zoomed out of his reach, but Kirsty wasn’t quick enough. As she flew upward, he grabbed her arm in one bony hand and his cloak in t
he other. Kirsty was dragged down.
“Let me go!” she cried, struggling against him.
“Release my friend at once!” Alicia demanded.
“No chance,” said Jack Frost. “She’s my prisoner now!”
The three young fairies were staring in shock, but none of them moved to help.
Rachel clenched her fists. She had to help her best friend! Suddenly, she had an idea.
“Kirsty, listen to me,” she said in a loud voice. “Don’t be scared—Jack Frost is a coward.”
“What do you mean?” Kirsty called out.
“How dare you?” roared Jack Frost.
“He hasn’t even tried to take the enchanted mirror out of his pocket,” said Rachel with a laugh. “He’s probably too scared to look in it!”
“I’m not scared of anything!” bellowed Jack Frost. “I’ll show you!”
Still holding Kirsty with one hand, he managed to pull the mirror out of his cloak pocket. The cloak dropped to the floor, and Jack Frost gazed into the mirror.
At once, a confused look passed over his face. He frowned and shook his head a couple of times as if he felt dizzy. Jack Frost took a few steps forward and then stopped, as if he had forgotten what he was doing.
Rachel held her breath. Had the mirror worked?
Alicia the Snow Queen Fairy Page 2