“Kirsty, how are we going to get down again? That bridge led back to the ladder!”
“Don’t worry,” Kirsty replied. She turned and pointed to the bridge that stretched away in the opposite direction. “After we search the tree house, we’ll go that way. Then we can walk around the outer circle of bridges back to the ladder again.”
Rachel grinned, looking relieved. “Right! Good idea.”
“Rachel! Kirsty!” A silvery voice interrupted them.
The girls spun around at the sound of the sweet, clear voice. A tiny fairy was swinging from Rachel’s ribbon and waving at them! She wore dark purple pants, a lilac top, and dainty lilac shoes. Her wand was a glittering purple, and she wore her curly brown hair tied up in a ponytail, decorated with three purple flowers.
“It’s Amy the Amethyst Fairy!” Kirsty gasped.
Amy freed Rachel’s ribbon from the branch. Then, smiling widely, she floated gracefully down toward the girls. The pink ribbon streamed out behind her like a banner.
“I’m so glad you’re here!” she said, landing lightly on Kirsty’s shoulder. “I need your help.”
“Thank you, Amy,” Rachel said gratefully, taking the ribbon from the tiny fairy. “Do you think your amethyst is nearby?”
Amy nodded. “I’m sure it is,” she replied. “I can feel that it’s not far away. Now I just need to find its hiding place.”
“We saw that bridge disappear,” explained Kirsty, pointing at the spot where the bridge had been. “One minute it was there, and then it was gone!”
Amy looked very excited. “I knew I could feel the amethyst working its magic!” she cried, dancing up and down on Kirsty’s shoulder. “Have you seen any goblins?”
“Not yet,” Kirsty replied. “We were just about to search the tree house for your amethyst.”
“Let’s get started!” said Amy, fluttering toward the tree house door.
Kirsty and Rachel followed her inside. The tree house was big, but there wasn’t much inside. The girls saw a few benches, a little wooden table, and the thick trunk of the oak tree growing through the middle of the room. It didn’t take Amy and the girls very long to realize that the amethyst wasn’t there.
“Oh, dear,” Amy said with a sigh, her wings drooping. “I was so sure we’d find it in here.”
“Don’t worry, Amy,” Kirsty comforted her. “We can search all the bridges and the trees, too. Speaking of bridges, I wonder if the one that vanished has come back yet?”
While Kirsty glanced out the window and saw that the bridge had still not reappeared, Rachel looked out the opposite window to make sure that nothing else had vanished. But just then a flash of light caught her eye. Was she imagining it, or had she just seen a purple sparkle in the branches of one of the trees?
Rachel blinked and stared. There it was again! “Kirsty! Amy!” she cried. “I can see something shining in that tree — and it’s purple!”
Kirsty and Amy rushed over to the window. Like Rachel, they could both see something purple, glittering in the sunshine.
“It must be my amethyst!” Amy gasped, twirling around in the air with excitement.
“Let’s go look,” Kirsty said, heading to the tree house door.
The two girls hurried outside with Amy flying alongside them. The tree where Rachel had spotted the amethyst was at the end of the other bridge. It connected the tree house to the outer circle of trees.
“I hope this bridge doesn’t disappear,” Kirsty said anxiously as they hurried across it.
“Girls, I can see my amethyst!” Amy cried joyfully. “It’s up there, on that crooked branch.”
The girls looked up where Amy was pointing. Sure enough, they could see a large, purple jewel sitting on the branch. It glowed and winked with a rich lilac light in the sunshine.
“Oh, it’s beautiful!” Kirsty breathed.
Suddenly, Rachel stopped in her tracks.
“What’s that noise?” she asked, looking around.
Ha-ha-ha! Hee-hee-hee!
Rachel grabbed Kirsty’s arm. “Look!” she cried, pointing up ahead.
A grinning goblin wearing thick gloves was perched on the branch above the jewel. As the girls and Amy watched in horror, he leaned down and reached out to grab the amethyst.
Before the girls or Amy could do anything, the goblin grabbed the amethyst and held it high above his head.
“The amethyst is mine!” he cackled, dancing gleefully up and down on the branch. “Hooray!”
“We have to get it back!” Amy gasped, swooping forward. “Quickly, girls!”
Rachel and Kirsty dashed after her. But before they reached the tree, the goblin raced off around the outer circle of bridges. When he got to the next tree, he stopped and glanced back over his shoulder.
“You can’t catch me!” he sneered, sticking his tongue out at the girls. Then he took off again, running around the tree house.
“Kirsty!” Rachel panted as they chased him. “He’s heading toward the ladder to the ground. He’s going to escape!”
“Oh, no!” Kirsty groaned, seeing that Rachel was right.
The goblin looked very pleased with himself as he ran toward the last bridge and the ladder. But all of a sudden, the last bridge began to blur and flicker. Just before the goblin reached it, it vanished into thin air!
“Ohhh!” The goblin cried, surprised. He tried to stop but was going so fast that he skidded right into the tree where the bridge had been attached. “Ouch!” he grumbled, rubbing his nose. “That hurt!”
“We’ve got him!” Rachel yelled triumphantly. “That tree doesn’t have a bridge over to the tree house. His only way out now is to come back past us.”
“Give me back my amethyst!” cried Amy, fluttering toward the goblin with a determined look on her face.
The goblin scowled at her. “No way!” he yelled. But then he looked around in confusion. First he gazed at the empty space where the bridge had been, then he looked at Amy and the girls, who were hurrying toward him.
“Over here!” came a yell. Someone was shouting from the tree house in a rough, gruff voice!
Amy, Rachel, and Kirsty turned around and were dismayed to see two warty-faced green goblins leaning out of the tree house windows! They were waving at the goblin who held the amethyst. One of them was wearing gloves.
“Over here!” the one with the gloves shrieked. “Throw it to me!”
Amy, Rachel, and Kirsty watched in horror as the goblin with the amethyst drew back his arm and hurled the jewel through the air. The glowing gem went spinning and tumbling toward the tree house. As it passed, branches, ropes, and leaves mysteriously appeared and disappeared, and a glittering trail of purple sparkles crackled in the air.
“Quick!” Rachel shouted. “Back to the tree house!”
The girls began racing around the circle of bridges again as the goblin in the tree house leaned out and caught the jewel.
He gave a screech of triumph. “I have the amethyst now!” he yelled gleefully to the girls. “And you’re not getting it back!”
“We have to stop those goblins!” Kirsty panted.
“There’s only one way they can go,” Rachel replied, stopping as they reached the bridge that led from the outer circle back to the tree house. “And it’s this way!”
At that moment, the two goblins dashed out of the house, and Kirsty realized that Rachel was right. Because the other bridge had disappeared, there was only one bridge leading away from the tree house now — and she, Rachel, and Amy were standing right at the end of it!
The goblins stopped, looking angry when they saw Amy and the girls blocking their path. They began whispering to each other. A moment later, they swung themselves over the edge of the bridge and dropped down onto the safety net below. Then they began clambering across the net toward the ladder.
“Oh, no!” Amy cried. “Those horrible goblins are escaping with my amethyst!”
Kirsty turned to the little fairy. “Amy, can you make Rachel an
d me fairy-size?” she asked. “Then we won’t have to worry about the bridges appearing and disappearing.”
Amy nodded and waved her wand in the air. A shower of lilac-colored sparkles fell softly onto Rachel and Kirsty, turning them into tiny fairies with shimmering wings.
“But we’re all too small to snag the amethyst back now,” Amy pointed out. “What are we going to do?”
“We can distract the goblins and keep them from escaping,” Kirsty replied. “That will give us more time to figure out how to get the jewel.”
“Maybe we can make them drop it,” suggested Rachel.
“Good idea,” Amy agreed.
Kirsty, Rachel, and Amy flew down and hovered around the goblins’ heads. The first goblin had joined his two friends, but all three of them were annoyed because their big feet kept getting stuck in the safety net.
“Pesky fairies!” the one holding the amethyst shouted. He swung wildly at Rachel, but missed her by a lot. “Go away!”
“Help, I’m stuck!” shouted another. Amy had flown at him, and he’d fallen over backward. “My feet are caught in the holes!” he wailed.
The other two goblins ignored him. They were too busy trying to scramble across the net toward the ladder.
Amy and the girls fluttered around the head of the goblin with the amethyst, doing their best to make him drop the jewel. Unfortunately, he was clinging to it tightly. Suddenly, Kirsty noticed a long, thick rope hanging down in front of her. She was sure it hadn’t been there before, and realized that it must have appeared because of the amethyst’s magic. The dangling rope gave Kirsty an idea, and she waved at Rachel and Amy.
“Quick! Back to the tree house!” she cried, grabbing the end of the rope and zooming up into the air with it.
“But the goblins are getting away!” Rachel yelled back.
“I know, so hurry!” Kirsty insisted. “I have an idea.”
Amy and Rachel followed Kirsty back to the tree house. As soon as they landed, Kirsty turned to Amy. “Can you make us human-size again?” she asked.
Amy nodded and raised her wand once more. As soon as the girls were back to their normal sizes, Kirsty got a firm grip on the rope. Then, taking a deep breath, she leaned backward and swung herself off the tree house platform and out over the safety net.
“Kirsty, be careful!” Rachel and Amy both cried anxiously.
As Kirsty flew through the air, she saw that the goblins had almost reached the tree with the ladder. They were looking very pleased with themselves, and they hadn’t noticed her swinging in their direction. They laughed and slapped one another on the back. At the same time, Kirsty swung silently toward the goblin who held the amethyst.
She knew she had to be quick, because she’d only get one chance. As Kirsty swept past the goblin, she snatched the magic amethyst right out of his gloved hand!
The goblin’s eyes almost popped out of his head. He gave a scream of rage. “Give that back!” he roared.
“I don’t think so!” Kirsty yelled, clutching the jewel tightly as the rope carried her back toward the tree house and her waiting friends.
As soon as she could reach, Rachel grabbed Kirsty and pulled her safely back onto the platform.
“My amethyst!” Amy cried joyfully, fluttering down to the jewel glowing in Kirsty’s hand.
“And look,” Rachel said, her eyes wide in amazement. “The bridge is back!”
Kirsty and Amy turned to look. The first bridge to the ladder, which the girls had crossed to reach the tree house in the first place, had now reappeared.
“That means we can get out of here right away,” Kirsty said happily, heading across the bridge. “Come on!”
Rachel and Amy followed her. But as they stepped onto the bridge, three very angry goblins appeared at the other end. They were completely blocking the friends’ escape!
“We’re trapped!” Kirsty gasped, looking around for a way out.
But it was no use. Two of the goblins were running across the bridge toward them, while the other stood guard at the ladder.
“You can’t get away!” one goblin yelled. “So give us the amethyst!”
“Never!” Amy cried bravely.
Rachel looked around desperately for something to help them escape from the goblins. Suddenly, her eyes fell on the silver slide on the other side of the playground. She turned to Amy. “Amy, could you use your magic to make a slide appear?” she asked. “Then we could slide safely down to the ground.”
Amy nodded and lifted her wand. A swirl of lilac sparkles cascaded to the ground. There was a flash of purple smoke. Then, between the safety nets, appeared a beautiful, shiny slide, spiraling all the way down to the ground.
“Great idea, Rachel!” Kirsty gasped, clutching the amethyst tightly and leaping onto the slide.
“Hurry!” Amy urged the girls, as she hovered anxiously over their heads. “The goblins are right behind us!”
Kirsty pushed herself off and Rachel slid down after her. Kirsty found herself whizzing along quickly, her hair streaming out behind her. She landed safely at the bottom and jumped off the slide, just before Rachel reached the bottom.
“Quickly, girls!” Amy flew down and landed on Kirsty’s shoulder. “The goblins are coming!”
Rachel and Kirsty began to run beneath the safety nets. But to their dismay, the goblins were already whizzing down the slide!
“Ouch! Ow!” they yelled as they bumped into one another at the bottom. They rolled off onto the grass, picked themselves up, and raced after the girls.
“They’re getting closer!” Kirsty panted as she ducked underneath another safety net. “How are we going to get away?”
Amy smiled. “This time I have an idea!” she whispered, raising her eyebrows mischievously.
Rachel and Kirsty watched as Amy first touched the tip of her wand to the magic amethyst, then flew up to touch her wand to the safety net. The disappearing and appearing magic of the amethyst began to work. The knots in the ropes holding up the net began to vanish! Amid a dazzling shower of lilac sparkles, the net slowly came free of its ropes.
As the goblins dashed toward Rachel and Kirsty, the net began to float downward. Understanding Amy’s plan, the girls darted out from underneath the net just in time. Down it came, right on top of the goblins!
The goblins yelled in anger and struggled to free themselves. But as they flailed, they only got more and more tangled in the net. Soon they were arguing with one another.
“Help!” cried one.
“My nose is stuck!” yelled another.
“Get your foot out of my ear!” shouted the third.
Rachel and Kirsty stood watching them and couldn’t help laughing. “Good job, Amy,” said Kirsty. “It’s going to take forever for them to untangle themselves!”
“And by then my amethyst will be back in Queen Titania’s crown,” Amy said happily. She touched the tip of her wand to the jewel in Kirsty’s hand, releasing a purple sparkle. Then she waved her wand expertly in the air. Another safety net magically appeared to replace the one that held the goblins.
“Now nobody playing in the tree house will fall and get hurt,” Amy announced. Kirsty and Rachel watched as she waved her wand over the amethyst one last time and sent it back to Fairyland in a swirl of fiery purple sparkles.
“Thank you so much, girls,” Amy went on. She fluttered onto Kirsty’s shoulder, and then onto Rachel’s, planting soft kisses on their cheeks. “Now the amethyst is back where it belongs, and it’s time for me to go home.”
“We’d better go, too, Kirsty,” said Rachel, glancing at her watch. “It’s time to meet Mom and Dad at the greenhouses.”
Kirsty smiled at their fairy friend. “Good-bye, Amy.”
Amy waved her wand at the girls and zoomed up into the sky. “Good-bye, girls!” she called in her silvery voice. “Don’t forget, we’re counting on you to find the other magic jewels!”
Kirsty and Rachel nodded and waved, then hurried out of the playground.
>
“That was fun!” Rachel said with a grin as they ran down the hill. “But I was really afraid the goblins were going to get away with the jewel this time.”
“So was I,” Kirsty agreed. “Look, there’s your mom and dad.”
Mr. and Mrs. Walker were just walking out of the greenhouse. The girls raced over to join them.
“What do you have there, Dad?” Rachel asked, noticing that her dad was carrying something very carefully.
“It’s an orchid,” Mr. Walker replied. He pulled back the tissue paper that was wrapped around the pot. “I bought it in the store. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Rachel and Kirsty stared at the exotic-looking purple flower.
“It’s exactly the same color as Amy’s amethyst!” Kirsty whispered to Rachel with a smile.
“It’s beautiful, Dad,” Rachel told him, smiling, too.
Mr. and Mrs. Walker carried the orchid over to the car, and Rachel and Kirsty followed.
“So, now we’ve found our fifth jewel,” Kirsty said happily. “Queen Titania’s crown is almost complete again!”
“Yes, only two more jewels left to find,” Rachel agreed thoughtfully. “I wonder where they could be!”
Wishes in the Air
The Mermaid’s Secret
Kirsty in Trouble
Into Battle!
Goblin Attack!
Fairy Dust
“I wish this rain would stop,” Kirsty Tate said to her friend Rachel Walker as they splashed through the puddles on Main Street. “My sneakers are soaked!” She pulled her rainbow-colored umbrella further down over their heads.
The Jewel Fairies Collection Page 7