Harriet the Hamster Fairy

by Daisy Meadows

  Harriet had to put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing at the idea. Nodding excitedly, she waved her wand over the headdress. A large red feather glimmered with a sparkly light, and then leaped out of its place. The feather flew down toward the goblin’s toes, and began to tickle them all over!

  “Ooh! Ahh! Ooh, stop that!” the goblin giggled, hopping from one foot to another. “Ooh! Ha-ha! Stop it! Hee-hee!”

  The feather kept tickling, until the goblin was breathless with laughter. Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore. “Stop!” he roared, between laughs. “Stop!”

  “Not until you give back Twinkle!” Rachel and Kirsty both said firmly.

  The goblin’s hands appeared through the clothes. A tiny fairy-size Twinkle sat in his cupped palms. “Here — take it! Take it!” the goblin urged. “Just stop the tickling!”

  Harriet flew over and scooped up Twinkle. She dropped a kiss on the hamster’s little head, then waved her wand toward the goblin’s feet. Red fairy dust swirled around the feather again. It glowed brightly and leaped back into its place in Jamie’s headdress.

  The goblin jumped out of the closet and bolted through the bedroom door. “It’s not fair! They were tickling me,” the girls heard him moan to the other goblins.

  Rachel and Kirsty smiled at each other, then bent to pet little Twinkle. One hamster was safe, at least!

  “Now we just have to find Nibbles,” Rachel said. “I wonder where he could have gone.”

  Twinkle was already twitching her nose and looking up at Harriet in a meaningful way. The fairy paid close attention, then nodded at her pet. “Twinkle says she thinks that Nibbles is somewhere up above us in the house,” she told Rachel and Kirsty.

  “In the attic?” Kirsty asked. “Wow, he’s climbed a lot today!”

  “Come on, let’s find him right away,” Rachel said, “before he goes off on another adventure!”

  Kirsty, Rachel, and Harriet all rushed up the last staircase to the attic door. But as soon as they stepped inside, all three of them gasped.

  “Oh, no!” Kirsty cried, looking around. The small room was stuffed with boxes, suitcases, old furniture, wooden trunks, dusty photo albums, and trinkets, dimly lit by the light that streamed in through a tiny round window. “How are we ever going to find Nibbles in here?”

  Luckily, Twinkle seemed to know exactly where to find Nibbles. She scampered through the air toward a stack of travel souvenirs. Rachel could see carved wooden masks, a silk parasol, a jewelry box piled high with strings of beads, and even an old brass oil lamp!

  Rachel followed Twinkle, laughing. “I was just thinking that it’s like Aladdin’s cave up here,” she said, “and look! There’s Aladdin’s lamp!”

  Twinkle seemed interested in the lamp, too. She pushed at it with her nose, then looked up at Harriet, her little black eyes bright.

  Rachel carefully lifted the lid of the lamp and everyone peeked inside. There, curled up and fast asleep, was Nibbles!

  “Oh, look!” Rachel said, dropping her voice to a whisper so she wouldn’t wake the sleeping hamster. “How cute. He’s worn out after all his adventures!”

  Kirsty gently scooped the sleepy hamster out of the lamp, feeling relieved. Now all they had to do was put Nibbles back in his cage with some fresh food, and clean up the living room. Then everything would be right again.

  But just as they were heading toward the door, Kirsty and Rachel heard goblin footsteps pounding up the attic stairs! The girls looked around quickly for a way to escape, but there was only one door and the tiny window. The goblins were coming — and the friends were trapped!

  “Quick, Harriet!” Rachel cried. “Fly out the window and take Twinkle home to Fairyland before the goblins can get their hands on her again.”

  “Yes,” Kirsty agreed eagerly. “The goblins won’t hang around here once they know you and Twinkle have left.”

  Harriet nodded, clutching her pet protectively. “OK. Thank you both for all your help,” she added, zooming over to the window. Then she stopped on the windowsill, as if she’d just remembered something. “But before I go, I’d better clean up the mess downstairs.”

  Her wand was a bright blur as Harriet waved it in a complicated pattern, sending glittering fairy dust spiraling through the door. “There!” she said. “And thank you again, girls,” she added, hugging them good-bye. “You’ve both been such a big help!”

  “Good-bye Harriet! Good-bye Twinkle!” Rachel and Kirsty said quickly. The goblin footsteps were growing closer by the second!

  Harriet fluttered out through the open window just as the three goblins clattered into the attic.

  “Follow that fairy!” the first goblin shouted, spotting the last traces of fairy magic around the window.

  “She’s outside. Quick, after her,” the second one shouted, turning around so fast that he bumped into the third goblin.

  “Hey! Watch where you’re going!” snapped the third goblin, turning to hurry back down the attic stairs.

  “Well, it’s your fault that the hamster got away,” Kirsty and Rachel heard one of the other goblins telling him as they all stomped away.

  “My fault?” came the indignant reply, drifting faintly up the stairs.

  The goblins were soon out of earshot, so Rachel and Kirsty ran over to the attic window to see if they could spot them in the yard. A few minutes later, the three goblins appeared outside, bickering noisily about which way Harriet had gone.

  A sparrow suddenly flew across the yard, and one of the goblins pointed excitedly at it. “There’s the fairy!” he shouted. The silly goblins chased eagerly after the sparrow as it darted over the back fence and into the meadow.

  Back in the attic, Nibbles opened his eyes and gazed around as if he was surprised to find himself there.

  “Hello, Nibbles,” Kirsty said, petting him gently. “Let’s get you something to eat. You’ve had quite the adventure today!”

  The girls headed back downstairs and saw that Harriet had worked her wonderful fairy magic, as promised. The living room was spotless!

  “Wow!” said Rachel with a grin. “You’d never guess that this room was full of wood shavings and hamster toys just a few minutes ago!”

  As Kirsty put Nibbles back into his cage, she couldn’t help smiling. Harriet hadn’t just taken care of the messy living room, she’d also magically filled up Nibbles’s bowl with a large helping of sunflower seeds! “His favorite food,” Kirsty said, watching the hamster chow down. “Harriet is so smart!”

  Kirsty carefully shut the cage door and watched the happy little hamster for a few minutes. “You know, I think I’ll take Nibbles back to my house with us,” she said. “Just so we know for sure that he’s safe from any goblins.”

  “Good idea,” Rachel said. “Then Nibbles will get a little vacation, too.”

  Kirsty carefully carried the hamster cage over to the door.

  “Phew,” Rachel said with a sigh, as she and Kirsty left the Coopers’ house. “That was a busy morning!” She smiled at her friend. “What could possibly happen tomorrow?”

  Kirsty grinned. “I don’t know,” she replied happily. “But I can’t wait to find out!”

  Twinkle is back wih Harriet the Hamster Fairy. Now can Rachel and Kirsty help

  Molly the Goldfish Fairy

  find her fish, Flash?

  Take a look at this special sneak peek!

  “Slow down, Dad,” Kirsty Tate called. “You’re leaving us behind!”

  “Sorry.” Mr. Tate stopped and waited for Kirsty, Rachel, and Mrs. Tate to catch up. “I’m hungry, and you know how good the Wainwrights’ barbecues always are. In fact . . .” He sniffed the air. “I think I can smell the food cooking from here!”

  “We’re still two blocks away!” Kirsty said, grinning and shaking her head. Her best friend Rachel burst out
laughing.

  Mr. and Mrs. Tate continued walking, and the girls followed.

  “We’ll have a good time at the barbecue,” Kirsty said, smiling. Rachel was staying with her over Easter vacation. “The Wainwrights have a huge yard. It’s great.”

  “Cool!” Rachel said eagerly. Then she lowered her voice. “But don’t forget, we have to keep our eyes open for fairy pets, too!”

  Kirsty nodded. “The fairies are depending on us,” she whispered. “We’ve found five pets,” Kirsty said as they turned onto the Wainwrights’ street.

  “Yes, we just have the goldfish and the pony left to find,” Rachel said thoughtfully. “The goldfish will be tricky, though. It’s the smallest pet we’ve had to look for!”

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  e-ISBN 978-0-545-29544-4

  Copyright © 2006 by Rainbow Magic Limited.

  Illustrations copyright © 2006 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 2008

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