Caramel Moon

by Helen Perelman

  Contents

  CHAPTER 1 Golden News

  CHAPTER 2 Trouble in the Fields

  CHAPTER 3 Candy Clues

  CHAPTER 4 Sweet Moonlight

  CHAPTER 5 Super-Spies

  CHAPTER 6 Ghoulish Plans

  CHAPTER 7 Ghost Lessons

  CHAPTER 8 Clean-up Crew

  CHAPTER 9 Sugar Dust

  CHAPTER 10 Under the Caramel Moon

  Cool Mint Excerpt

  About Helen Perelman

  For Bethany Buck,

  who was born under a Caramel Moon!

  The caramel stalks on the hill glowed golden in the late afternoon sun. Melli, a Caramel Fairy, took a deep breath. She smelled the sweet, sugary scent of fresh caramel. Sitting on a branch of a chocolate oak, she gave a heavy sigh. It was nice to relax after a day’s work in the fields.

  From the tree she could see out to Caramel Hills and Candy Corn Fields. This was one of her favorite spots in Sugar Valley. A gentle breeze blew her short, dark hair. The cool air reminded her that the weather was turning colder. While she was sorry that the long, sunny days of summer were over, Melli loved the change of season.

  Autumn was the busiest time of year for the Caramel Fairies. Many of their candies were grown and harvested in the autumn months. And Melli’s favorite was candy corn. Not only did she love the sweet treat, she loved the Caramel Moon Festival, too.

  This event, the best event of the fall, was held during the evening of the full moon in the tenth month of the year. Princess Lolli, the ruling fairy princess of Candy Kingdom, officially named that moon Caramel Moon. The candy corn was at the peak of perfection at that time, and all the candy crops needed to be picked when they were ripe, so all the fairies in Sugar Valley came to help. The festival was a giant party with lots of candy corn, music, and dancing.

  “Hi, Melli!” Cara called out. Cara was Melli’s little sister. She flew up and sat on the branch beside Melli.

  “Hey, Cara,” Melli said. “How’d you find me?”

  “I knew you’d be here,” Cara told her. “It’s almost Sun Dip and you always wait for Cocoa here.”

  Melli laughed. Her little sister was right. The chocolate oak at the bottom of Caramel Hill was at the edge of Chocolate Woods. The old tree was the perfect meeting spot for her and her best friend, Cocoa the Chocolate Fairy. They always flew together to see their friends at the end of the day when the sun dipped below the Frosted Mountains. Sun Dip was a time for meeting friends and sharing news of the day.

  “I just heard some golden news,” Cara went on. A smile spread across her face. “You’ll never guess who is playing at the Caramel Moon Festival this year!” Her lavender wings fluttered so fast that she flew up off the branch.

  “You found out who is playing?” Melli asked. Her dark eyes sparkled with excitement.

  All year long, fairies tried to guess who would play the music at the late-night celebration. After the candy corn was picked, all the fairies celebrated by the light of the moon. Good music was a key ingredient to making the party a success.

  Since this year Melli was old enough to have planted the seeds in the fields, she was even more excited about the festival.

  Cara grinned at Melli. She usually didn’t hear juicy information before her older sister. She wanted to savor the sweet moment of knowing something before Melli.

  “Come on,” Melli urged. “Please tell me! I want to know!” She grabbed Cara’s hand.

  “Well, it’s your favorite band,” Cara said. She looked as if she would burst with excitement.

  Melli’s mouth fell open. “The Sugar Pops are coming here?” Her purple wings began to flutter, and her heart began to beat faster. “Are you sure?”

  “Sure as sugar,” Cara said. “I was at Candy Castle to make a delivery and I heard the Royal Fairies talking about the Caramel Moon Festival. The Sugar Pops are really coming!”

  The Sugar Pops were the most popular band in the entire kingdom. Their music was fun to dance to, and Melli knew every single song by heart. She also knew everything about Chip, Char, and Carob Pop. The three Pop brothers sang and played instruments. They had the sweetest songs.

  “Hot caramel!” Melli exclaimed. “Wait until I tell everyone at Sun Dip!” She reached out and hugged her sister. “Thanks for telling me, Cara. This is fantastic news.” Her mind was racing. “If they sing ‘Yum Pop,’ I will melt!”

  Cara nodded. “Oh, they have to play that song!” she exclaimed. “It’s their best one.” She smiled.

  Melli looked toward Chocolate Woods. She kept an eye out for Cocoa. Cocoa loved the Sugar Pops too. Actually, all her friends did. And this year they would be able to stay and help harvest the crops, which meant they’d also get to see the Sugar Pops perform.

  “What about me? Do you think I can watch the Sugar Pops?” Cara asked.

  “I’ll see if I can get you permission,” Melli said. She leaned in closer to Cara and put her arm around her. She didn’t want to see her sister so sad. “Maybe you can come for one or two songs.”

  “Thanks, Melli,” Cara said. Her wings perked up a little at the possibility of seeing the band play.

  Just at that moment, Cocoa flew up to the chocolate oak. “Hello, fairies!” she called out. “What’s new and delicious?”

  Melli and Cara both grinned.

  “What?” Cocoa asked. She looked at the two sisters. “What are you up to?”

  Melli’s wings flapped and she floated off the branch. She couldn’t contain her excitement! “Cara found out that the Sugar Pops are playing at the Caramel Moon Festival!” she burst out.

  Cocoa clapped her hands. “Choc-o-rific!” she shouted. “That is the sweetest news I’ve heard all day!” She sat down on one of the chocolate oak’s branches. “Wait until the others hear about this. And this year we’ll get to stay the whole night!”

  Melli nudged Cocoa. She knew that Cara was feeling sad about not being old enough to stay for the night concert. “We’re going to see if Cara can come for at least one song,” she told Cocoa.

  “‘Yum Pop’, I hope,” Cara said. She held up crossed fingers.

  Melli and Cocoa laughed.

  “Come on,” Cocoa said. “Let’s head over to Sun Dip and tell the others.”

  “I want to go check on the candy corn crops before Sun Dip,” Melli said. “All the Caramel Fairies were working near Caramel Hills today. I haven’t been since yesterday. I’ll meet you at Red Licorice Lake.”

  Melli gave quick hugs to Cara and Cocoa.

  “I’ll see you later,” Cara called as she flew back home to Caramel Hills.

  “See you soon, Cara,” Cocoa said. “And, Melli, bring some of your caramel!”

  “Of course!” Melli called. She still had a smile on her face as she flew toward the fields.

  The Caramel Moon Festival was bound to be the most extraordinary event of the year!

  Melli found herself alone in Candy Corn Fields. The early evening chill felt refreshing, and the crisp smell of the crops meant that harvest time was nearing.

  As she flew through the fields, she hummed a Sugar Pops song. She imagined how fun it would be to dance to their music at midnight after all the crops were picked. There would be a stage set up at the north side of the fields. Large barrels of candy corn would line the stage, and Princess Lolli would welcome all the Candy Fairies. She was a fair and true ruler, who took good care of all the fairies in Sugar Valley. And she was also a huge fan of the Sugar Pops!

  Melli wondered if she would get to meet the Pop boys. She had to at least get their autographs! She fluttered her wings just thinking of the three sweet singers.

  Landing in the green fields, Melli looked around. Her wings drooped as she spun in a circle. It wasn’t the color of the stalks or
the shapes of the hanging candy corn that concerned her. But something was wrong. Very wrong.

  She flapped her wings and flew up and down the rows. Her wings beat faster as she looked around. All the stalks were much shorter than they had been the day before. The stalks were supposed to grow taller, with candy corn dripping from the wide leaves. But at that moment it seemed to Melli that the stalks had shrunk.

  How can this be? she thought. What happened? I was just here yesterday.

  As Melli flew up and down the rows of candy corn stalks, she didn’t notice the darkening sky. The sun had just slipped down past the Frosted Mountains when she heard Cocoa’s voice.

  “Melli!” Cocoa cried. She waved her hands, trying to get her friend’s attention.

  “Over here,” Melli answered. She didn’t look up from the stalk she was examining.

  “What’s the matter? You missed Sun Dip!” Cocoa said as she flew up to Melli. “Everyone was so worried.”

  “Something is not right here,” Melli blurted out. She pointed to the stalks around them.

  Melli slowly walked a few steps. She leaned in close to the stalks. The white, yellow, and orange candy corn looked all right, but something seemed off to her. “These stalks were higher yesterday,” she explained to Cocoa. She flapped her wings and took off down the row.

  “What do you mean?” Cocoa asked. She took flight and followed her friend. “Everything looks fine.”

  As Cocoa flew down the long rows, the green leaves of the stalks tickled her arms. She saw that all the stalks were filled with candy corn. “The candy corn looks delicious,” she said. “Especially the ones on the far end of the field.”

  “You mean the ones with the chocolate tips?” Melli asked. She knew that Cocoa preferred the ones with a touch of chocolate.

  “Actually,” Cocoa said, “all these look ready for harvesting.” She smelled the sweet scent of ripe candy corn. “This all looks good to me.”

  “I’m telling you, something is wrong,” Melli replied. Her wings fluttered quickly as she flew down to examine another stalk. She shook her head sadly. “Caramel Moon is two days from now. What happens if the candy corn doesn’t ripen in time? Or worse, if the candy corn shrinks and disappears!”

  Cocoa gasped. There had never been a year without candy corn. She wasn’t sure what all the fairies would do without the special autumn treat.

  “How can we have a Caramel Moon Festival without candy corn?” Melli cried out.

  Cocoa put her arm around her friend. “Don’t be silly,” she said. “The corn is always ready on the night of Caramel Moon. You worry too much.” She spun around and looked at the rows of green stalks. “The fields are full, and the candy corn looks ready to harvest!” She saw that Melli was still concerned. “Has Princess Lolli been here yet? Maybe she can help.”

  “She hasn’t been here yet,” Melli said. “She said she’ll be by soon to check on the crops.” Melli stepped on a mound of soft brown sugar. “I don’t really want her to see the fields looking like this!” Staring down at the ground, she mumbled, “What if I did something wrong?”

  “What are you talking about?” Cocoa asked. “I think you are just nervous. All this talk about the Sugar Pops coming has distracted you!”

  “No,” Melli said. She searched the fields for a clue. “This is strange.”

  “I don’t know,” Cocoa told her. “Maybe you just have the sugar jitters for the big day.”

  Melli ducked low and peered under one of the stalks. “Look!” she cried, pointing. “There’s a mound of brown sugar here,” she said. “And fallen candy corn on the ground over there.” She crawled under a stalk and followed the trail of clues.

  Cocoa came with her. Maybe Melli was right. Normally, the fields didn’t look like someone—or something—had been pulling corn off the stalks.

  “The whole north part of the field is ruined!” Melli exclaimed. “Someone has been messing with the candy corn crops. And we have to find out who!”

  Cocoa bent down and picked up a mashed candy corn. “Look at this,” she said. “You’re right, Melli. Candy corn doesn’t get mashed by itself.”

  Melli’s eyes widened. “Do you think someone is trying to ruin the Caramel Moon Festival?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” Cocoa admitted. “But sure as sugar, we need to find out!”

  As Melli and Cocoa picked up the fallen stalks and candy corn, their friends arrived at Candy Corn Fields.

  “What’s going on?” Raina asked. The Gummy Fairy looked worried as she saw her friends scurrying around the fields.

  Dash, a Mint Fairy, flew above them. “Are you picking the candy before Caramel Moon?”

  “Of course they aren’t,” Berry said. The beautiful Fruit Fairy landed on the ground and leaned over to smell the candy corn. “Everyone knows that the candy isn’t picked until midnight of the Caramel Moon.”

  “Someone has been messing with the crops,” Melli blurted out.

  “Are you sure?” Berry asked. She looked around the dark fields. “What makes you think that?”

  Melli pointed to the basket of smashed candy corn and broken stalks that she and Cocoa had collected. “See?” she said. “The north side of the field was a mess. I think someone was trying to take all the candy corn.”

  “No one has ever stolen candy corn from the fields,” Raina said, shaking her head. Raina knew the whole history of the Candy Fairies and Candy Kingdom. She loved to read and had memorized the Fairy Code Book. “I’ve never heard of such a story about Candy Corn Fields.”

  “There’s a first time for everything,” Dash said as she landed on top of one of the candy corn stalks.

  “Dash!” Berry scolded. She saw Melli’s worried expression. She didn’t want to send Melli into a sugar fit. She already looked like she was ready to have a meltdown.

  “Maybe one of the other Caramel Fairies was trying to get the fields ready?” Raina offered.

  “No Caramel Fairy would pick the candy before Caramel Moon,” Melli said. “The Caramel Fairies were working in the south part of the fields yesterday. This must have happened overnight and no one checked on this side today.” She examined the stalk next to her. “It’s almost as if someone was trying to pull down the stalks.” She pointed to the short stalk in front of her.

  “Remember those chocolate bugs that ate away at the trees in Chocolate Woods last year?” Cocoa asked. “Maybe it’s some kind of candy field bug?”

  Raina shook her head. “They wouldn’t be strong enough,” she said. “These stalks are thick and very sturdy.” She reached over and gave the green stalk a tug. “And there haven’t been any great storms like the one that hit Gummy Forest in the spring.”

  “My guess is Mogu,” Berry said. She folded her arms across her chest. “That mischievous troll is always out to steal Candy Fairy treats.”

  “Maybe,” Cocoa said, nodding. A shiver spread to the tip of her wings as she remembered her journey to Black Licorice Swamp with Princess Lolli. When Cocoa’s chocolate eggs were missing, she and the fairy princess journeyed to Mogu’s cave to get them back. It was a dangerous trek, and Cocoa didn’t want to think about going back to that black swamp again.

  “I’m thinking it was the Chuchies,” Melli said, sitting down on the ground. She leaned against one of the stalks. “You see the ground here? There weren’t mounds of brown sugar here yesterday. And Chuchies are short, so it makes sense that they’d try to pull the stalks.”

  “And Chuchies always leave a mess behind,” Berry said, agreeing with Melli.

  “Those furry little creatures could have tramped through here last night,” Raina said, looking around. “They are so sneaky, they could have come in without anyone seeing them.”

  “But you know those Chuchies don’t act alone,” Cocoa added.

  “Mogu,” Berry said again. “I just know he is behind this.”

  Melli put her head in her hands. “So what do we do about it?”

  “First we need to make s
ure it really was the Chuchies,” Raina said. “Maybe it was someone else?”

  The fairy friends were silent as they all considered who might have been responsible.

  “What if all the candy is gone tomorrow?” Dash said in a panic.

  “Then the Sugar Pops probably won’t come,” Melli said sadly.

  “The Sugar Pops?” Berry, Raina, and Dash all said at the same time.

  Melli had been so happy to tell her friends about the Sugar Pops coming, but now the news wasn’t as exciting. If there were no crops, there wouldn’t be a big celebration.

  “Cara overheard the Royal Fairies talking at Candy Castle about them coming to perform,” Cocoa explained.

  “I was so excited to see them,” Melli said sadly. “But who knows if they will come if there’s no festival.”

  “Holy peppermint!” Dash exclaimed. “You mean Chip, Char, and Carob are going to be here? Right here?” She flew straight up in the air.

  Cocoa nodded. “That was the plan,” she explained.

  “We definitely need to solve this candy corn mystery,” Berry said.

  “You can bet your sugar fruit chews,” Cocoa said. “This was the first year we were going to get to stay till midnight!”

  “And meet the Sugar Pops,” Dash added with a dreamy look in her eye.

  “Well, at least there are a few candy clues,” Berry noted. “Do you think we can figure this out?”

  “We can solve this mystery,” Melli said, standing up. “We have to!”

  Raina paced up and down. She tapped her finger on her chin as she thought out loud. “There’s a story in the Fairy Code Book about Lupa the Sugar Fairy,” she began. “She was sure that a troll was stealing her sugar fruit chews and wanted to protect her candy.”

  “Oh, I know that story!” Berry exclaimed. “Lupa caught the troll in the middle of the night and sent him back over the Frosted Mountains. She was very brave.”

  Melli walked over to Raina. “How did she do that?” she asked.