A Valentine's Surprise

by Helen Perelman

  For Sarah Collier, a sweet and true fan

  Contents

  CHAPTER 1: Supersweet Surprise

  CHAPTER 2: Sweet Lyra

  CHAPTER 3: A Sour Mystery

  CHAPTER 4: A Salty Problem

  CHAPTER 5: Burst of Hope

  CHAPTER 6: Sweet and Strong

  CHAPTER 7: A Sweet Ride

  CHAPTER 8: A Gummy Good Idea

  CHAPTER 9: Three Delicious Reasons

  CHAPTER 10: A Sugarcoated Day

  ‘Bubble Gum Rescue’ Excerpt

  Supersweet Surprise

  Raina the Gummy Fairy sprinkled handfuls of colorful flavor flakes into Gummy Lake. She smiled as the gummy fish swam over and gobbled up the food. Watching the fish eat made Raina’s tummy rumble. She had gotten up very early and had been working in Gummy Forest all morning. When she settled on a perch high up on a gummy tree, Raina opened her backpack. All the animals in the forest were fed, and now she could relax and eat her own lunch.

  Raina had an important job in Sugar Valley. She took care of the gummy animals that lived in Gummy Forest. There were many types of gummy animals, from friendly bear cubs to playful bunnies. Raina was fair and kind to each of the animals—and they all loved her.

  “Hi, Raina!” a voice called out.

  Raina looked up to see Dash, a Mint Fairy, flying in circles above her head. The small, sweet fairy glided down to see her.

  “I was hoping to find you here,” Dash said. “I need your help.”

  Raina was always willing to help out any of her friends. She had a heart that was pure sugar. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Dash landed on the branch next to Raina. She peered over at the bowl in Raina’s hand. Dash was small, but she always had a huge appetite!

  “Hmmm, that smells good,” she said. “What is that?”

  “It’s fruit nectar. Berry brought me some yesterday,” Raina told her. She watched Dash’s eyes grow wider. It wasn’t hard to tell that Dash would love a taste. “Do you want to try some?” she asked.

  “Thanks,” Dash said, licking her lips. “Berry’s nectars are always supersweet.” Dash leaned over for her taste. Berry the Fruit Fairy had a flair for the fabulous. And she could whip up a spectacular nectar. “Yum,” Dash continued. “Berry makes the best fruit nectar soup.”

  Raina laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that you didn’t like something a Candy Fairy made,” she told her minty friend.

  “Very funny,” Dash said, knowing that her friend was speaking the truth.

  “Have you come up with any ideas about what to get Berry?” Raina asked.

  Dash flapped her wings. “That is why I’m coming to see you,” she said. “I was hoping you could give me an idea. I know Berry would love something from Meringue Island, but that is a little too far. She’s the only one I haven’t gotten a gift for, and Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. Since it’s also her birthday, I want to make sure the gift is supersweet.”

  “Sure as sugar, Berry would love anything from Meringue Island,” Raina agreed. Meringue Island was in the Vanilla Sea and was the place for fashion. Berry loved fashion—especially jewelry and fancy clothes. When Fruli, a Fruit Fairy, had come to Sugar Valley from the island, Berry was very jealous of her. Fruli had beautiful clothes and knew how to put together high-fashion looks.

  “The truth is,” Raina added, leaning in closer to Dash. “Berry would like anything you gave her.”

  “But I want to give her something she is really going to love,” Dash replied. She swung her legs back and forth. “I want to surprise her with a special gift this year.” Her silver wings flapped quickly. “I wish I could think of something with extra sugar!”

  “I know how you feel,” Raina said. “I’ve had the hardest time coming up with an idea.” She looked over at Dash. “I’ll tell you what I’m going to get her, but please keep it a secret.”

  “Sure as sugar!” Dash exclaimed. She clapped her hands. “Oh, what are you planning?”

  Raina took her last sip of the fruit nectar. “Last night I was reading a story in the Fairy Code Book, and I got a delicious idea.”

  Dash rolled her eyes. “I should have guessed that this would have something to do with the Fairy Code Book,” she said.

  Raina read the Fairy Code Book so often that her friends teased her that she knew the whole book by heart.

  “Well,” Raina continued, “there is a great story in the book about Lyra, the Fruit Chew Meadow unicorn.”

  “Oh, I love Lyra,” Dash sang out. “She grows those gorgeous candy flowers at the edge of the meadow.” Just as she said those words, Dash knew why Raina’s grin was so wide. “You talked to Lyra, and she is going to give you a special flower for Berry?”

  Raina laughed. “Dash!” she said. “You ruined my surprise.” She put her empty bowl back inside her bag. “I thought that if I got Berry a flower, I could make a headband for her. You know how she loves to accessorize.”

  “The more the better, for Berry,” Dash added. “And those are the fanciest flowers in the kingdom. So mint! Berry is going to love that headband.” Dash stopped talking for a moment to take in the whole idea. “Wait, how’d you get Lyra to do that for you? Unicorns don’t like to talk to anyone!”

  Raina smiled. “Well, that’s not really true,” she said.

  “Let me guess,” Dash said. “Did you read that in a book?”

  Raina giggled. “Actually, I didn’t,” she told her friend. “To be honest, I think Lyra is just shy.”

  “Really?” Dash asked. “Can I meet her? Maybe she’ll have another idea for a gift for Berry. Let’s go now.” She stood up and leaped off the branch into the air.

  “I’ve been working all morning,” Raina said. She reached her arms up into a wide stretch. “Maybe we can go in a little while?”

  Dash fluttered back down to the branch. Her small silver wings flapped quickly. “Come on,” she begged. “Let’s go now!”

  Dash was known for being fast on the slopes of the Frosted Mountains—and for being impatient. She liked to move quickly and make fast decisions.

  Leaning back on the gummy tree, Raina closed her eyes. “Please just let me rest a little, and then we can go,” she said with a yawn.

  “All right,” Dash said. “Do you have any more of that nectar?”

  Raina gave Dash her bowl and poured out some more of Berry’s nectar. Then she shut her eyes. Before Raina drifted off to sleep, she imagined Berry’s happy face when she saw her birthday present. Sure as sugar, Valentine’s Day was going to be supersweet!

  Sweet Lyra

  After Raina woke up from her nap, she and Dash flew to Fruit Chew Meadow. The meadow was on the other side of Candy Castle and wasn’t that far away from Gummy Forest. Raina knew that with Dash, the trip would go fast. Dash was a champion at sledding and loved to fly down the slopes of the Frosted Mountains and Marshmallow Marsh on her sled. Raina usually preferred to take her time. She liked to see the colorful sights of Sugar Valley and enjoy all the delicious scents blowing in the breeze. Today, however, she was ready to race Dash to Fruit Chew Meadow.

  “I can’t believe I’m keeping up with you,” Raina called over to Dash.

  Dash smiled. “I’m glad you are going fast. I can’t wait to talk to Lyra!”

  Laughing, Raina shook her head. Her minty friend always wanted a speedy answer. Raina flapped her wings. She was excited to see the flower that Lyra had for her.

  “I thought unicorns were a little sticky when it came to being around fairies,” Dash said.

  “Not Lyra,” Raina said. “She’s not like that at all. Besides, Lyra likes Berry very much. She wants to help make her birthday special.”

  “Berry is goi
ng to be so happy!” Dash said, smiling.

  Now that Candy Castle was behind them, Fruit Chew Meadow was just ahead. The fairies flapped their wings faster and giggled as they headed toward the ground. As they drew closer, Raina stopped laughing and squinted her eyes. Normally, the far end of Fruit Chew Meadow was full of flowers. The bright rainbow of colorful flowers was always such a breathtaking sight. But today the field looked different.

  “Oh no!” Raina gasped. Her wings slowed as she glided above the meadow. Usually, the tall candy flowers were reaching up to the sky, but now they were dragging on the ground.

  “Holy peppermint,” Dash mumbled as she flew closer to the field. “These flowers look awful.”

  “What happened?” Raina said. She hovered above the ground, staring at the sad-looking flowers. “This must have just happened. We would have heard of this for sure.”

  “Sour news travels fast,” Dash agreed. “I’m sure Princess Lolli doesn’t even know about this, otherwise she would be here now.”

  Princess Lolli was the fairy princess who ruled over Sugar Valley. She was fair and true and always helped out the fairies when there was trouble.

  “I wonder if anyone else knows about this,” Dash said. She spun around. “Do you see Lyra anywhere?”

  Raina held her hand over her eyes to shield the sun. She scanned the meadow. “I don’t see her. We have to find her.” She flapped her wings and flew up to see better. “Lyra’s usually right here near the berry cherry tree,” she said. “I wonder where she could be.” She looked over at Dash.

  “I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Dash said. She wrinkled her nose. “Something smells sour here.”

  “Well,” Raina said, trying to stay calm. “Let’s look for clues. That’s always the best way to solve a mystery.”

  The two fairies hovered above the meadow and searched.

  “Poor Lyra,” Dash said. “This must have happened after all the Fruit Fairies left this morning.”

  Raina nodded. “You must be right,” she said. “The Fruit Fairies would have helped. Keep looking!”

  As Raina flew over the meadow she wasn’t sure what she was looking for. Lyra was a large white unicorn with a rainbow horn that glowed. There weren’t many places for an animal that size to hide in the meadow.

  “Wait!” Raina said. She flew down to the ground and squatted low on the grass. Dash followed close behind her.

  “Lyra’s hoofprints!” Raina exclaimed. She pointed to a dirt path and a small hoofprint. “If we follow these, maybe we can find her.”

  The two fairies followed the hoofprint clues. Near the edge of the meadow they found the unicorn.

  “Oh, Lyra!” Raina cried out. She saw the beautiful white unicorn lying down behind a berry thistle and rushed toward her.

  Lyra was lying on her side. Her normally bright rainbow horn was dull and nearly wiped of color.

  Raina sat by Lyra’s head and stroked her nose. “Lyra, are you okay?” she whispered softly in her ear.

  There was no answer.

  “Lyra,” Raina begged. “Please answer me. What happened?”

  Dash sat down on the other side of Lyra’s head. She rubbed her silky white neck. “Lyra, can you hear us?” she asked.

  Lyra’s eyes fluttered slightly.

  “She looks very weak,” Dash added. “Poor Lyra!” She bent down to get a closer look at the unicorn. “She’s really sick.”

  Raina knew they had to do something—and fast. It was hard to tell just how long Lyra had been lying there. And her dull horn was very upsetting. “We need all of us together to solve this problem,” she said.

  Lyra’s eyes fluttered again. The unicorn’s long lashes seemed too heavy to let her keep her eyes open.

  “It’s all right,” Raina told her. She patted Lyra gently. “We’re going to get you some help,” she whispered in her ear.

  “And try to figure out what went on here,” Dash added.

  Raina stood up and looked around. The field seemed so strange without the tall stalks of colorful flowers. “Maybe she hurt herself,” she said softly. She looked over Lyra’s white body, but the unicorn appeared unharmed.

  “We can’t move her by ourselves,” Dash said. Lyra was a full-sized unicorn and much too large for just two Candy Fairies to pick up.

  Raina knew Dash was right. “Let’s send sugar flies to our friends. If we’re all together, we can come up with a plan.”

  The fastest way to get information around Sugar Valley was to send a sugar fly note. Those little flies could spread news faster than anyone.

  Poor, sweet Lyra, Raina thought. How did this happen to you?

  Raina touched the unicorn’s horn and closed her eyes. She wished she could help the gentle creature and find out what had made her so sick.

  A Sour Mystery

  Raina and Dash sat by Lyra’s side. The unicorn seemed to be resting, but she was weak and her horn was still dull. Raina didn’t like seeing the unicorn so sick.

  “Let’s try to make Lyra more comfortable,” Raina said. She gathered some soft fruit chews and put them under Lyra’s head. “Oh, I hope the others get here soon!” she said, looking up at the sky.

  “Let’s tell everyone that we were working on a special candy for Princess Lolli,” Dash said. “I don’t want to give away Berry’s surprise gift. She’ll figure out that we were up to something.”

  “Maybe,” Raina said. “But then there will be questions about the special candy.” She reached over and pet Lyra. She felt very warm. “Telling one little lie doesn’t seem bad, but one lie always leads to many, many more.”

  Dash agreed. “You’re right. We’ll just say that we came to see Lyra. Everyone will be thinking about how to help her.”

  Putting her head close to Lyra’s nose, Raina listened carefully. “She’s barely breathing,” she told Dash.

  “Look!” Dash cried. “I see Melli and Cocoa!”

  Up in the sky the Caramel Fairy and Chocolate Fairy were headed toward them. Raina waved. Just as they landed Berry flew in beside them.

  “Sour strawberries!” Berry exclaimed. “What happened here?” She bent down to Lyra. “I was just here this morning and Lyra was fine. Oh, the poor thing.” Gently she stroked the sleeping unicorn’s neck.

  “Sweet Lyra,” Melli sighed.

  “She doesn’t look well,” Cocoa added. She glanced around at all the wilted flowers in the meadow. “Melli and I were nearby around lunchtime, and the flowers were standing tall. So Lyra couldn’t have been lying here for long.”

  “Oh, Lyra,” Berry cooed. She sat down close to her. “Sour sugars! Look at her horn!” Berry looked at Raina. “Her magic!”

  “We have to get her some help,” Raina said. She was trying very hard to remain calm.

  “Unicorns hold all their magic in their horn,” Berry blurted out. “Lyra must be very sick if her horn is so dull.”

  Raina lowered her eyes. She was aware of that fact, but she had been too worried to say those words out loud.

  Melli paced around Lyra. “Oh, this is awful. And a mystery.”

  “A sour mystery,” Dash mumbled.

  Cocoa flew up in the air and scanned the meadow. “All of Lyra’s flowers are drooping. Whatever is affecting her is affecting the whole meadow.”

  “The flowers respond to Lyra,” Berry said. “If she doesn’t have her magic and she can’t sing, the flowers will die.” Berry’s wings began to move. “We have to do something fast.”

  Raina put her hand on Berry’s shoulder. “That is why we called you all here.”

  “Let me stay with Lyra,” Berry said. She reached in her bag for some fruit nectar. “Maybe she’ll have some.” She held the food out to the unicorn, but there was no movement.

  “She’s so weak,” Melli said sadly.

  Raina’s eyes were brimming with tears. She knew that she had to be strong. “Berry, you stay with Lyra and keep her calm. The rest of us will search the meadow. We’ll look for clues.”
>
  The fairies all agreed. Berry stayed with Lyra as Raina, Dash, Melli, and Cocoa flew back and forth over the meadow. Overall, the meadow didn’t look disturbed . . . except for the wilted flowers.

  “Holy peppermint!” Dash cried out. She waved her friends over to the edge of the meadow. She zoomed down to the ground and then signaled her friends to follow.

  “A broken fence!” Raina exclaimed. She landed beside Dash, the others right behind her.

  The thick caramel fence surrounding one of the flower beds was broken.

  “Those fences are incredibly strong,” Melli said. She bent down to examine the break. “That caramel is hard to crack.”

  Cocoa ducked down low to get a better view. “Well, something—or someone—broke the fence.”

  Dash sat down on the ground and put her head in her hands. As she stared at the broken fence her nose began to twitch. She put her hand on the ground and then up to her mouth. “Holy peppermint!” she said softly. “There’s salt all over the ground here.” She stood up and began to follow the path while the others watched her with puzzled expressions. Suddenly Dash bent down, scooped something up in her hand, and then she showed it to her friends.

  “Salt?” Melli asked. “How could there be salt here? Everyone knows . . .”

  Before she could finish her sentence, her friends were around her. Melli had her hand in front of her mouth. She couldn’t bear to say the words.

  “Salt is poisonous for unicorns!” Raina blurted out.

  “Mogu! That salty old troll,” Cocoa hissed.

  “No wonder Lyra is weak and sick,” Melli said softly.

  Dash was so angry her wings flapped and took her up off the ground. “Mogu has been coming to the meadow to steal candy! And his salty tracks have harmed Lyra. This is so sour—even for Mogu.”

  “You really think Mogu would hurt Lyra?” Raina asked. “Even for a troll that would be superbitter.”

  “Maybe he didn’t realize the salt was harmful to Lyra,” Melli offered.