“Mine, too,” Rachel said. “But I’m glad we came into town today. I got the perfect present for Danny’s birthday party next week.” She swung the shopping bag in her hand. It contained a bright red, turbo-charged squirt gun that Rachel was sure Danny, her six-year-old cousin, would love.
“I wish I was going to be here for his party.” Kirsty sighed.
“Me, too. I can’t believe you’re going home tomorrow,” Rachel told her. “This week went by so fast!”
“Too fast,” replied Kirsty. “I just hope we find another magic jewel today.”
The two girls grinned at each other. They had an incredible secret. Rachel and Kirsty were best friends with the fairies! They’d helped the fairies out lots of times in the past, when Jack Frost had been causing trouble. Now they’d been asked to help again.
This time, mean Jack Frost had stolen seven magic jewels from Queen Titania’s crown. The jewels controlled special fairy powers. Without them, the Jewel Fairies couldn’t recharge their magic wands! But Jack Frost had hidden the jewels in the human world and had sent his goblin servants to guard them.
Rachel and Kirsty had already helped five of the Jewel Fairies get their magic jewels back. There were still two gems missing — the sapphire that controlled wishing magic, and the diamond that controlled flying magic. Rachel and Kirsty had to find them as soon as possible. The fairies’ special jewel celebration was supposed to take place the very next day!
“We need to find the missing jewels by tomorrow,” Kirsty said anxiously. “Maybe we should start looking for another one now.”
“But you know what Queen Titania always says,” Rachel reminded her.
Kirsty smiled. “Don’t look for magic — let it find you.”
Rachel nodded. “I guess we just have to wait and see what happens. Let’s go home this way,” she said, pointing down the street. “We can walk past the mermaid fountain.”
“I love the mermaid fountain,” Kirsty agreed. “It’s so pretty!”
The mermaid fountain had a round base with three stone steps that led up to a pool of glittering water. A beautiful stone mermaid and two leaping dolphins had been carved into the fountain. The mermaid’s hands were raised above her head, and she was holding a large bowl. Water flowed over the sides of the bowl and into the pool below.
As Kirsty and Rachel walked up, they saw a little girl standing by the fountain with her mom.
The girl sighed. “I wish I could have a dolphin of my own, Mom,” she said, looking at the stone dolphins leaping around the beautiful mermaid.
The girls heard a faint tinkling sound in the air. Just then, a blue balloon came floating down from the sky toward the little girl. Rachel and Kirsty stared in amazement. The balloon was in the shape of a dolphin!
“Mom, look!” the girl squealed excitedly. “A dolphin balloon!”
Her mom grabbed the string of the balloon. “Wow, what a strange coincidence,” she said, looking around to see if anyone might have lost it. But there was no one around, other than Rachel and Kirsty. She laughed. “It’s almost like your wish came true, sweetheart!”
Rachel and Kirsty looked at each other with wide eyes. They were both thinking the same thing: Could the little girl’s wish really have come true?
The girl and her mom hurried down the street with the balloon.
“Did you see the way that balloon appeared out of nowhere?” Kirsty whispered to Rachel.
“Yes, right after the little girl wished for a dolphin! Do you think … ?” Rachel broke off as a man walked toward the fountain with a little boy. They were both huddled under an umbrella.
“Can I throw a coin in the fountain and make a wish, Dad?” the boy asked.
His dad fished a penny out of the pocket of his jeans. “Catch, Tom!” he said with a grin, tossing the coin to his son.
Tom caught the shiny penny and ran up the steps to the edge of the fountain.
“I wish the rain would stop so Dad and I could play football!” he cried.
As he threw the penny into the pool, water splashed up. The water droplets caught in the air for a moment, and looked like they were glowing with a magical blue light. Again, the faint sound of bells seemed to echo through the air.
As Tom ran back down the steps, a ray of sunlight broke through the clouds. It lit up the gray stone fountain and made a rainbow in the rain. Then the gray clouds parted overhead. The rain slowly let up, then stopped completely.
“It stopped raining!” Rachel exclaimed, staring up at the sky.
Tom’s dad also looked up in surprise. “What a quick change in the weather!” he remarked.
“It was my wish!” Tom cried. “The fountain must be magic, Dad!”
His dad smiled at him. “Oh, Tom, you know magic isn’t real. Come on, let’s go home and get the football.”
Rachel and Kirsty stared at each other. No matter what Tom’s dad said, they knew the truth: Magic was real, and wishes could come true. At least, they could if there was a magical sapphire nearby!
“Oh, Rachel!” Kirsty gasped as soon as Tom and his dad were out of earshot. “This means Sophie’s magic sapphire must be awfully close!”
“You’re right, Kirsty! The sapphire must be here somewhere,” Rachel said. She glanced around. They were the only people near the fountain now. “Let’s take a look.”
Kirsty closed the umbrella. She put it down on one of the benches around the fountain. Then she took a quick look underneath the bench, while Rachel peeked behind the old-fashioned mailbox next to it.
Psst!
Kirsty and Rachel jumped.
“What was that?” Kirsty asked.
“Psst! Over here!” a tiny voice called.
Rachel and Kirsty looked around wildly. Where was the voice coming from?
“In the mailbox!” the voice giggled.
Both girls looked at the mailbox. Sitting in the letter slot, swinging her legs, was a very tiny, very pretty fairy. She had long black hair held back in a ponytail, and she was wearing a blue skirt and top. She waved at the girls.
“Hello, I’m Sophie the Sapphire Fairy,” she said, smiling. “I’ve heard how much you’ve helped the other Jewel Fairies. Will you please help me find my sapphire?”
“Of course we will!” Kirsty replied.
“We just saw two children making wishes that came true,” Rachel told the fairy.
“I know,” Sophie replied. “It sounds like my sapphire is working its magic. Let’s try to find it!”
Rachel began to hunt behind the bench, while Sophie flew around the mailbox.
“I’ll go and look in the fountain,” Kirsty called, running up the stone steps.
The bottom of the fountain’s pool was covered with turquoise tiles, which made the water look really blue. Kirsty gazed up at the mermaid statue. It was even prettier up close! But then Kirsty noticed that the three cherubs climbing up the outside of the mermaid’s bowl were the ugliest cherubs she’d ever seen. They had really long noses and beady eyes.
Suddenly, a flash of blue caught Kirsty’s eye. It seemed to be coming from just underneath the bowl, right where the mermaid’s hands were. Kirsty squinted at the mermaid’s left hand. Then she gasped. There, tucked safely in the mermaid’s stone hand, was a sparkling blue jewel!
“Wow!” Kirsty breathed, watching the jewel glitter in the sunlight. Quickly, she slipped off her sneakers and rolled up her jeans.
The pool at the base of the fountain was wide, but it wasn’t very deep. Kirsty could easily walk through it to reach the statue. She stepped into the water. It was very cold and the tiles felt slippery, but she had to get to the sapphire! Keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the jewel, Kirsty began to wade through the water.
As she reached the mermaid, her heart pounded with excitement. She stretched up and gently pulled the twinkling sapphire out of the mermaid’s fingers. Then she turned to call her friends. “Sophie! Rach — arghhh!” Kirsty was cut off as a blast of water came shooting at her from one of th
e cherubs above. It hit her right in the face!
Spluttering in surprise, Kirsty stared at the cherub. Her eyes widened as she noticed its pointy nose and huge feet. It wasn’t part of the statue at all. It was one of Jack Frost’s goblins!
The goblin jumped up onto the top of the bowl. “That’s Jack Frost’s jewel!” he shouted. “Put it back right now, you pesky girl!”
Kirsty’s heart hammered in her chest. To her horror, she saw that there was a second goblin on the fountain also disguised as a cherub. No wonder the cherubs had looked so ugly! This one was climbing down toward her with a snarl on his face.
Kirsty turned to run, but she was too late. The goblin reached out from the fountain and shoved her. Kirsty cried out as her feet slipped on the slimy tiles. She fell into the water with a splash. As she landed, the sapphire slipped from her hand and flew through the air. It dropped into the pool and sank out of sight.
Kirsty looked around frantically for the sapphire, but the tiles were so bright that she couldn’t see the jewel against them. She felt around in the water. Where is it? she wondered. She had to find the sapphire before the goblins did! The two goblins jumped down from the fountain and splashed toward her, their beady eyes gleaming.
“Stay away!” Kirsty gasped, struggling to her feet. But the goblins began splashing water at her, so she couldn’t see a thing.
Coughing and spluttering, Kirsty scrambled to the edge of the pool. She was soaked! Her hair was dripping and water was running down her face. Rachel ran up the steps with Sophie flying right behind her.
“Are you OK?” Rachel cried, helping Kirsty out of the water. “You’re soaking wet and —” She broke off with a gasp as soon as she spotted the goblins. “Goblins!”
Kirsty nodded.
“Are you hurt?” Sophie asked anxiously.
“I’m fine, but the sapphire is in the pool with the goblins,” Kirsty replied, shivering. “I found it in the mermaid’s hand, but then I dropped it.”
“You won’t get the sapphire back!” one of the goblins yelled. “It’s ours now.” He nudged the other goblin. “Come on, snail-brain,” he ordered. “Hurry up and find it!”
“I don’t see why I have to do all the work,” the other one grumbled. He gave the first goblin a shove. “You find it!”
“No, you!” the first goblin yelled, pushing him back.
“No! You do it!”
The water bubbled and foamed as the two goblins pushed each other around the pool, arguing loudly about who should look for the jewel.
“We’ll never be able to get by those goblins and grab the sapphire. What are we going to do?” Sophie sighed. She landed on Rachel’s shoulder as the two girls retreated down the steps to talk.
“I d-d-don’t know,” Kirsty said, her teeth chattering.
“You must be freezing,” Rachel told Kirsty. “Put on my jacket.”
“Thanks,” Kirsty said gratefully. “I wish I was warm and dry.”
Sophie gave a tinkling laugh. “I can fix that!” she declared. “I have just enough magic left in my wand for one small wish.” She raised her wand and waved it over Kirsty’s head. Blue and silver sparkles danced in the air. As they swirled down around Kirsty, a wave of warmth washed over her, starting at her head and sweeping all the way down to her toes.
“I’m dry again!” Kirsty gasped, looking down at her clothes. “Thanks, Sophie.”
“No problem,” replied the little fairy. She flew over and perched on Kirsty’s dry shoulder. “Now, how are we going to get the sapphire back?”
Kirsty glanced over at Rachel. Her friend was staring at the shopping bag on the bench with a thoughtful look on her face. “Rachel?” Kirsty asked.
Rachel turned to face her friend, her eyes shining. “I have a plan!” she announced.
“We’ll use the umbrella and the shopping bag to keep the goblins away while we search for the jewel,” Rachel said eagerly. She noticed that Kirsty and Sophie looked confused. “Sophie, you fly into the air and drop the shopping bag over the head of one goblin. That will keep him busy for a while. Kirsty and I can fight off the other goblin with the umbrella.”
“Good plan,” Sophie said, grinning. “Sounds like I’ll be getting wet again,” said Kirsty, sighing. Then she smiled. “But I don’t care, as long as we get the sapphire back. Let’s do it!”
Rachel took the squirt gun out of the bag while Kirsty checked to make sure that no one was coming.
“The coast is clear,” she reported in a low voice.
Rachel handed the bag to Sophie. “Good luck!” she called as Sophie zoomed up into the air.
Then Rachel took the closed umbrella in one hand. “Here goes!” she said, taking a deep breath and grabbing Kirsty’s arm with her other hand.
Together, the girls ran up the steps toward the pool. To their relief, they saw that the goblins were still arguing. They hadn’t found the sapphire yet!
“You nincompoop!” one of them was shouting.
“Look who’s talking, birdbrain!” the other yelled back.
Holding the umbrella like a sword, Rachel stepped into the water.
“Arghhh! ” she screamed to startle the goblins, who jumped and cried out in alarm.
Kirsty stomped her feet, splashing water around them. At the same moment, Sophie dived down from the sky and dropped the shopping bag neatly over one goblin’s head.
“Hey! What’s going on?” he yelled, staggering around in the water. He couldn’t see or get his hands free. “Everything is dark!”
Rachel swung the umbrella toward the other goblin. “Quick, Kirsty!” she cried. “Look for the jewel!”
The goblin saw Kirsty reach down to search for the sapphire at the bottom of the pool. He began to jump toward the girls, splashing his big feet so that Kirsty couldn’t see into the rippling water.
Rachel pressed the button on the umbrella’s handle, and it suddenly snapped open to its full size, fending off the goblin’s splashes.
“Whoa!” the goblin cried in surprise.
In the meantime, Kirsty was desperately feeling around the bottom of the pool, searching for the magic jewel. Her fingers closed on something smooth and round, and warm tingles shot up her arm. She caught her breath. She knew that feeling — it was fairy magic! “I’ve got it!” she cried, pulling the sapphire from the water and scrambling to her feet.
But just then, Sophie’s voice echoed through the air. “Watch out, girls!” she cried from above.
A hard spray of water hit Kirsty in the back. She gasped in surprise and turned around.
A third goblin was standing on the edge of the pool. In his hands was Danny’s turbo-charged squirt gun!
“There’s another goblin!” Kirsty gasped, remembering that she had seen three cherubs on the stone bowl of the fountain. The goblin holding the squirt gun must have jumped down from the fountain and snuck up behind her while she and Rachel were trying to keep his two goblin friends away.
“Give me that jewel!” the goblin yelled. He was bigger than the other two and even scarier, with a long nose and thick eyebrows. He quickly refilled the squirt gun in the pool and blasted the girls with another burst of water.
Rachel staggered and dropped the umbrella as the water hit her. “Hey!” she cried, caught by surprise.
“I want that sapphire!” the goblin shouted. “And if you don’t hand it over, I’ll keep squirting you!”
Sophie darted down from the sky. “Leave Rachel and Kirsty alone, you big bully,” she cried bravely. “The sapphire is not yours. It belongs in Queen Titania’s crown!”
“Pesky little fairy!” the goblin growled. He lifted his squirt gun and shot water at Sophie, who squealed and dodged out of the way just in time. The goblin fired again. This time, Sophie just barely missed getting hit by the water.
Rachel grabbed Kirsty’s arm. “We have to stop him!” she said anxiously. “If the water hits Sophie, it will knock her out of the sky!”
The goblin aimed the squirt gun at S
ophie again.
“Stop it!” Rachel shouted, wading forward.
Kirsty followed her friend. “I have a plan, Rachel!” she hissed. “If we can reach the edge of the fountain, maybe we can knock him over. There’s only one of him, and there are two of us!”
But just then, there was a triumphant yell from the middle of the pool. The girls spun around to see that the goblin under the shopping bag had wriggled free. His goblin friend grabbed the umbrella. Rachel had dropped it in all the confusion!
“You won’t get away with the sapphire now!” the goblin with the umbrella said as he splashed across the pool. The goblin with the squirt gun stepped into the water and began to wade toward the girls, too.
“We’re trapped!” exclaimed Kirsty, realizing that all three goblins had surrounded them.
“Quick!” Sophie cried from high above. “There are people coming down the street. They’ll see what’s happening! We have to get out of here with the sapphire — now!”
Sapphire! The word echoed in Kirsty’s mind. Of course! Why hadn’t she thought of it before? She was holding a jewel full of wishing magic! She looked at the three goblins. Could she use the sapphire to stop them? Knowing that she had to try, Kirsty lifted the sparkling stone and cried, “I wish …” She glanced around for inspiration, and her gaze fell on the mermaid’s tail. “I wish you goblins were all fish!”
Blue and silver sparks shot into the air. As they streamed down over the goblins’ heads, there was a tinkling sound. Suddenly, the three goblins vanished!
The Jewel Fairies Collection Page 8