“Yes,” replied Joy. “Jack Frost went to the sand castle competition on the beach last week. He cast a spell to turn the winning castle into a giant palace for his summer vacation. It was so big, he needed all the sand and shells from the beach.” She shook her head. “Worst of all, he stole the three special Rainspell Shells from their cave under the sea.”
“What are the Rainspell Shells?” Rachel asked.
“They’re magic shells that make Rainspell Island the best place ever for vacation,” Joy explained. “The first is a long pink-and-cream spiral shell. It makes all the food on Rainspell Island, like Rosie’s ice cream, taste extra-delicious. The second is a beautiful conch shell that controls the wind and waves, making the sea perfect for sailing and swimming. The third is a huge scallop shell. That one makes sure that all of the beaches on Rainspell have sand and that all of the tidepools are full of beautiful shells. If I could return all three shells to their cave, then Jack Frost’s palace would vanish and Rainspell Island would be back to normal again.” She looked anxiously at the two girls. “Do you think you could help me?”
“Of course!” Rachel and Kirsty said.
Joy smiled. “Thank you so much!” Her smile faded. “Though I’m not sure how we can do it.”
Kirsty looked at Jack Frost’s castle. “Let’s fly closer and see if we can find any of the magic shells.”
Rachel nodded. “But we’d better be careful of those goblins.” The girls had learned that goblins were mean and horrible. They would do anything to please Jack Frost.
The three girls flew toward the moat. To Rachel’s and Kirsty’s relief, the goblins seemed to be too busy eating ice cream to be searching the sky.
“Where did they get that ice cream?” Kirsty whispered.
Joy sighed. “They made it themselves. Since they have the shell that makes Rainspell’s food taste yummy, they can make Rosie’s special ice cream. Jack Frost is pleased, because it means that he and his goblins are the only ones on the island who can have Rosie’s ice cream.”
Only one of the goblins — the one who was defending the castle’s drawbridge — didn’t have any ice cream. “Come on, give me some of yours,” he grumbled to another goblin. “I can’t leave the drawbridge to get my own, or Jack Frost will be angry.”
“Well, you can’t have any of mine!” the other goblin shouted back.
“Mmm, this is delicious!” another one teased. “In fact, it’s the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted! Mmmm.”
The drawbridge goblin stamped his foot. The other goblins walked off, laughing.
The goblin by the drawbridge was so angry that he hit the castle wall with his fist, almost knocking off a large, twirly pink-and-cream shell.
“That goblin doesn’t look very happy,” Rachel commented.
Kirsty didn’t reply. She was too busy staring at the castle. “Look, Joy! The pink twisty shell,” she breathed, pointing. “Isn’t it one of the three magic shells?”
“Yes!” Joy exclaimed. “It is!”
Rachel eyed the big, scary goblin nearby. “But how are we going to get it back?”
“We could wait until the goblin leaves,” Kirsty suggested.
“We could be waiting for a long time,” Rachel pointed out.
“If only we could make the goblin move,” said Joy.
“Maybe he’ll decide he can’t wait for some ice cream any longer,” Rachel said hopefully. “And he’ll leave the drawbridge.”
“That’s it!” Kirsty gasped. Rachel and Joy looked at her. “You two could tell the goblin you have some ice cream on the other side of that sand dune. When he leaves to follow you, I’ll fly down and grab the magic shell.”
“That’s a great idea!” Rachel said.
Joy nodded. “Come on! Let’s go!”
Kirsty hovered in the air as Rachel and Joy flew toward the goblin.
“Hey!” he shouted as they swooped down. “What are you doing? Jack Frost said I cannot let any fairies into the palace!” He tried to grab Joy out of the air, but she darted away.
“We’re not trying to get into the castle,” Rachel said, her heart pounding. The goblin looked even scarier close up. “We just wanted to tell you that there’s some ice cream on the other side of that sand dune.”
The goblin frowned. “What sort of ice cream?”
“It’s a special, extra-delicious flavor that no one else here has tasted,” Joy said.
The goblin looked interested. “Does it have chocolate sauce and sprinkles?”
“Oh, yes,” said Rachel. “Lots of sprinkles.”
“I guess I could just run over to the other side of the sand dune for a minute,” said the goblin. Then he shook his head. “I bet you fairies are trying to trick me. You just want to get into the castle!” He waved his hands at them. “Go away! Leave me alone!”
Joy and Rachel flew away in alarm.
“Did it work?” Kirsty asked, joining them.
“No,” Rachel said with a sigh. “He realized that we were trying to trick him.”
“Hmmm …” Joy said, her eyes lighting up, “what if we make him believe we really do have ice cream?”
“But how can we do that?” asked Rachel.
Joy grinned. “Like this!” She waved her wand. There was a loud splatting noise, and two blobs of melted ice cream flew through the air. One landed on Rachel’s T-shirt, and another on Joy’s skirt.
“Sorry!” Joy said, seeing the surprised look on Rachel’s face. “I know it’s sticky, but it might convince the goblin that we have some ice cream.”
“But I thought the goblins had all the ice cream magic,” said Kirsty, puzzled.
“They have the magic that makes the ice cream taste great,” Joy explained. “I can still make ice cream, just like Rosie can. It’s just all melted and sticky and tastes horrible.” She looked at Rachel. “So what do you think?”
Rachel grinned. “I think it might just work!”
They flew down to the goblin again.
“I told you to go away!” he grumbled as they hovered just out of reach.
“I know. We tried to bring the ice cream to you, but there’s too much to carry,” said Rachel. “Look, it spilled all over our clothes.”
The goblin peered at her T-shirt. “So there really is ice cream over there?”
“Yes,” Rachel replied. “But it’s melting fast!”
The goblin jumped to his feet. “Show me where it is — quickly!”
Rachel and Joy flew toward the dune. The goblin ran behind them, licking his lips.
Kirsty saw her chance. Swooping down, she landed beside the pink-and-cream spiral shell on the drawbridge. She tried to pull it off, but it was much heavier than she’d expected.
Come on, she thought frantically. She pulled harder.
“Quick, Kirsty!”
Kirsty looked around. Rachel and Joy were flying toward her at top speed. The goblin was right behind them. He must have realized he’d been tricked when there wasn’t any ice cream on the other side of the dune.
Kirsty gave the shell one last tug. To her relief, it popped out of the sand. She held it with both hands and flew into the air, escaping just in time.
“Hooray!” shouted Joy.
“You tricky fairies!” cried the goblin. “Come back here with that shell!”
Joy sped away, with Kirsty and Rachel right behind her. As the girls flew over trees, the goblin’s voice grew fainter.
“Won’t Jack Frost be really angry when he hears what happened?” Kirsty said.
Joy nodded. “We’re going to have to be extra-careful. Now he knows that we’re after the Rainspell Shells.” She pointed at the twirly curly shell. “At least we have one of them back. Come on, I’ll show you the underwater cave.”
Kirsty glanced at Rachel. “We should really be getting back.”
“Yes,” Rachel agreed. “We told our parents we were only going for a short walk.”
“Never mind,” Joy replied. “You can always come and s
ee the cave another time. After all, we still have two more magic shells to find!” She flew up into the air. “See you soon!” Before she swooped away, she flicked her wand and the girls grew to their normal size again.
Rachel and Kirsty waved good-bye and headed back to the beach.
“That was fun!” Rachel said.
As she spoke, a shimmering haze waved through the air. They heard the faint sound of ice cream bells.
“Something magical is happening!” Kirsty exclaimed.
“Maybe Joy is putting the shell back?” Rachel suggested.
As soon as they reached the road, they heard ice cream bells again. “More magic?” Rachel said.
“No!” Kirsty cried. “Look!”
Rosie’s ice cream truck was driving along the road. “Hello, you two,” Rosie called. “Great news! My ice cream machine is working again. In fact, the ice cream tastes even better than before!”
“That’s fantastic!” Rachel said.
Rosie nodded. “I’m so happy, I’ve decided to give out free ice cream all afternoon. Would you like some?”
“Yes, please!” Rachel and Kirsty said at the same time.
Rachel chose chocolate ice cream and Kirsty chose strawberry.
“Mmm, this really is delicious!” Rachel said. “Thanks, Rosie!”
“No problem.” Rosie smiled at the girls before driving away.
Kirsty licked her cone. “Isn’t it wonderful that Rosie’s ice cream is back to normal?”
Rachel nodded. “Yes, but we still need to do something about the sand and the seashells.”
“We’ll have to help Joy rescue the other Rainspell Shells,” Kirsty said.
“Definitely,” Rachel vowed. “We’ll make Rainspell Island the perfect place for a vacation again. I just know we will!”
“Isn’t it a beautiful day for the regatta?” Kirsty asked as she put on her sneakers.
Rachel looked out the window of Dolphin Cottage. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. “It’s perfect,” she replied. “My dad’s really excited.”
Mr. Walker and Mr. Tate were renting a boat and racing at the regatta that morning.
Kirsty dropped her voice to a whisper. “At least Jack Frost won’t be able to ruin today. It won’t make a difference to the regatta if there aren’t any shells or sand on the beach.”
A shiver ran across Rachel’s skin as she thought about Jack Frost. She and Kirsty still had to help Joy the Summer Vacation Fairy rescue two of the Rainspell Shells. “Do you think we’ll see Joy today?” she asked.
“I hope so!” Kirsty said, grinning widely.
The Walkers and the Tates walked to the harbor together.
“Goodness, it’s hot,” Mrs. Walker said.
Mr. Tate wiped his hand across his forehead. “I hope a breeze picks up. If there’s no wind, then the boats won’t be able to sail.”
“It’s very strange,” Kirsty’s mom said. “It was so windy when we came over on the ferry the other day!”
Rachel and Kirsty hurried ahead of their parents. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Kirsty whispered.
“That it could be Jack Frost?” Rachel said. “Maybe he is going to ruin the regatta, after all!”
Just then, their parents caught up with them. The pretty streets that led down to the harbor were filled with crowds of people. Everyone looked hot and worried, and there was a long line by Rosie’s ice cream truck.
“There’s the harbor master.” Mr. Walker pointed to a man dressed in a blue uniform. “He’s in charge of the regatta. Let’s find out what’s going on.”
The harbor master was talking to a group of people by the dock. “I’m very sorry,” he was saying. “If the wind doesn’t pick up in the next half hour, I’m afraid the regatta will be canceled.” There were groans from the crowd.
Kirsty and Rachel glanced at each other. They needed to do something, and fast!
“Can Kirsty and I go to the beach, please?” Rachel asked.
“Sure,” replied Mrs. Walker. “Meet us by Rosie’s truck in half an hour. If the race is taking place, we can watch it together.”
“And if it isn’t, we can all go home,” Mr. Tate said gloomily.
Rachel and Kirsty wriggled through the crowd and made their way onto the beach. They hurried across the pebbles until they were out of earshot.
“We have to do something!” Kirsty said. “I’m sure this is Jack Frost’s fault. Doesn’t he have the magic shell that controls the wind?”
Rachel nodded. “I bet he’s trying to ruin everyone’s day!” As she spoke, her foot knocked against a piece of driftwood. There was a happy tinkling sound, and a fountain of golden sparks exploded into the air.
“Joy!” Rachel and Kirsty exclaimed as the fairy flew out from under the driftwood and twirled into the sky.
“Hi, there!” said Joy, smoothing down her ruffled skirt and grinning at them. “How are you today?”
“Not great,” Rachel admitted. “There’s no wind, so it looks like the regatta’s going to be canceled. Everyone’s really upset.”
Joy frowned. “Oh, it’s all Jack Frost’s fault! He’s using the magic shell. He brought all the wind over to his side of the island for his regatta.” She put her hands on her hips. “He is so mean!”
“Can we do anything to stop him?” asked Kirsty.
“The only way we can stop him is by getting that conch shell back,” Joy replied. “Jack Frost put it on one of the towers of his castle. If we can find it, then he won’t be able to control the wind anymore.”
Rachel and Kirsty exchanged determined looks. “Then let’s go back to the castle!” they said.
Joy waved her wand, and a cloud of golden dust floated over the girls. Within seconds, they were fairy-size again. They flew over the woods and the tower, and then arrived at Jack Frost’s sandcastle.
Loud shouts were coming from the direction of the beach.
“What’s that noise?” Rachel wondered aloud.
“I bet it’s the goblins,” Joy answered, frowning.
They swooped over the castle to investigate.
The goblins were sailing on the sea in a strange assortment of inflatable toys, with sails made out of beach towels and tablecloths. The boats bounced across the waves, only stopping when they knocked into one another. Half the goblins seemed to be in the water. The others were yelling at one another. A tall goblin with a megaphone was standing on the beach shouting instructions, but everyone was ignoring him.
Kirsty looked back at the castle. It had three towers, a tall one in the middle and two shorter ones on either side. The top of each tower was decorated with conch shells, which were creamy-brown on the outside and glossy-pink inside.
“Which one is the magic shell that controls the wind?” Kirsty asked.
“It’s on the tower to the left.” Joy pointed. “I think it’s the shell with the brown stripes.” She frowned. “Or maybe it’s the one with the beige spots. No, no, I think it might be the large cream shell with no markings.”
Rachel frowned. If Joy didn’t know which shell it was, how could they possibly rescue the right one? “We have to know which shell it is,” she said anxiously.
“Yes, Rachel’s right,” Kirsty added.
“Don’t worry,” Joy said, glancing at the sky. “I think we’ll find out any minute now!”
Just then, the sun suddenly came out from behind a cloud. As its rays fell on the towers, one of the shells began to glow.
“Oh, wow!” Kirsty breathed. “That has to be the magic shell!”
“It is,” Joy said.
“It always glitters in the sun. The question is, how are we going to rescue it? We can’t just fly up and grab it. Jack Frost might see us.” She pointed to a window near the top of the middle tower. “He can’t come outside, because he’d melt in the sun. So he watches everything from that window. He could see us flying up to the tower!” She ran a hand through her blond hair. “I think the only way to get the shell is by going up th
rough the inside of the castle. Then we can take the shell and sneak away.”
Joy the Summer Vacation Fairy (Rainbow Magic) Page 2