The Music Fairies Collection

by Daisy Meadows

  Rachel and Kirsty had been horrified to discover that Jack Frost had plans to use the instruments’ magical powers to win the National Talent Competition at the New Harmony Mall near Wetherbury. Jack Frost was determined to win first place and get a recording contract with MegaBig Records. He had sent his goblins to hide in Wetherbury with the magic instruments, so they’d be ready for the competition that weekend. But, with the help of the Music Fairies, the girls were determined to foil his plans and return all of the instruments to Fairyland before Rachel went home at the end of school break.

  “I hope we find another instrument today,” Rachel said, as she flipped through a display of glittery cards. “We’ve already helped send Poppy’s piano and Ellie’s guitar back to Fairyland, but we still need to find all the other instruments so music isn’t ruined forever!”

  “I know,” Kirsty agreed. “But remember what Queen Titania always says? We have to let the magic come to us.”

  “It’s hard though, isn’t it?” Rachel sighed.

  “Really hard!” Kirsty agreed.

  She left Rachel alone so she could choose her cards, and went over to look at a shelf of cute teddy bears. There weren’t any other customers in the store, except for a little boy and his mother. Kirsty wandered around, looking at whatever caught her eye.

  Suddenly she spotted a large, bright card at the front of a nearby display. The card was covered with silver sparkles. In the middle was a pretty little fairy with long red hair.

  She looks like Poppy the Piano Fairy! Kirsty thought, smiling to herself.

  Kirsty took the card to show Rachel, who was looking at postcards of different Wetherbury sights.

  “Does this remind you of anyone, Rachel?” asked Kirsty, holding the card out.

  “Oh, yes! Poppy!” Rachel exclaimed. “Maybe I should send that card to my mom and dad. What does it say inside?”

  Kirsty flipped the card open. Immediately, a puff of glitter burst out, showering both girls with sparkles. Rachel and Kirsty gasped as a tiny fairy popped out of the card and waved at them. She wore a shiny silver dress with lace-up sandals, and her dark hair was braided with pretty beads.

  “Hi, girls,” she called. “I’m Fiona the Flute Fairy!”

  “We’re so glad to see you, Fiona,” Rachel said eagerly.

  “Do you think your magic flute is nearby?” asked Kirsty.

  Fiona nodded seriously. “And I hope you’ll help me find it,” she said. “There’s no time to waste! Did you know that Jack Frost and his goblins are going to enter the National Talent Competition next weekend?”

  “Oh, yes.” Rachel grinned.

  “We’ve heard all about Frosty and his Gobolicious Band!”

  Fiona smiled. “We’ve heard rumors in Fairyland that Jack Frost is writing his own songs for the competition,” she told them. “So far, he’s got ‘You’ve Got to Be Cold to Be Kind,’ ‘Green with Envy,’ and ‘Fairyland Rock’!”

  The girls laughed.

  “I wonder what his songs are like?” said Rachel.

  “Even if they’re awful,” Fiona replied, “Jack Frost will still win the talent competition with the help of the magic musical instruments!”

  “Then he’ll get the recording contract with MegaBig Records,” Kirsty pointed out. “If he becomes a famous pop star, everyone will want to know all about him.”

  “And that would mean disaster for Fairyland!” Fiona sighed, her wings drooping a little. “You understand that we can’t let anyone find out about fairies. Girls, we have to stop Jack Frost!”

  “Well, let’s start by looking for your flute,” Kirsty said in a determined voice.

  “It’s not far away, I know it!” Fiona replied, fluttering down to sit on Kirsty’s shoulder. “I can feel its beautiful music calling to me.”

  Rachel was about to say something when a movement outside the window caught her eye. Suddenly, a large group of people danced past the card store!

  Amazed, Rachel rubbed her eyes. Was she seeing things?

  She peeked outside with curiosity. The dancers were moving down High Street. There was a painter still holding his wet brush, which left a trail of green paint behind him as he twirled around a lamppost.

  A mother with a stroller was skipping along, her baby giggling with delight. A man in a suit was waltzing and talking into his cell phone at the same time.

  “Kirsty!” Rachel tugged her friend’s sleeve. “You have to see this!”

  Kirsty looked up. “What’s happening?” she asked, puzzled.

  At that moment, the little boy in the store, who was looking at the display of teddy bears, glanced outside and spotted the dancers.

  “Look, Mom, it’s a parade!” he yelled excitedly.

  “Let’s go and watch,” his mom replied. They hurried out of the card store, leaving the door open behind them. Immediately, the sound of sweet, melodic music drifted in from the street.

  “What beautiful music!” Rachel said dreamily. “What’s the parade for, Kirsty?”

  “I don’t know,” Kirsty replied, swaying in time to the music. “I had no idea there was going to be a parade in Wetherbury today.”

  “Girls, listen to me!” Fiona said anxiously. But Rachel and Kirsty didn’t even look at her.

  “I have to find out where this amazing music is coming from!” Rachel went on, heading for the door.

  “I know it’s strange, but there’s just something about this music,” Kirsty agreed. “I need to follow it!” She rushed after Rachel.

  “That’s just it, girls!” Fiona darted in front of them, blocking their path. “This beautiful music is coming from my magic flute!”

  Rachel and Kirsty stared at her.

  “People can’t resist the sweet sounds of my flute, and that means it could be dangerous in the wrong hands,” Fiona explained quickly.

  She waved her wand to break the spell the flute had cast over the girls.

  “We have to get it back, then,” said Rachel, giving herself a little shake.

  Fiona swooped into Rachel’s pocket and the three friends rushed outside.

  High Street was now crowded with people dancing around. Even the cars had stopped! Their drivers had gotten out to join in the fun.

  “The music’s getting fainter.” Fiona looked worried. “That means whoever has my flute is moving farther away. I’ll turn you both into fairies, so we can fly after them.”

  Rachel and Kirsty hurried into a nearby phone booth.

  Fiona flew out of Rachel’s pocket and quickly showered both girls with a cloud of shimmering sparkles. Instantly, Kirsty and Rachel shrank down to fairy-size, with glittery wings on their shoulders.

  “Let’s go!” Fiona cried, soaring out of the phone booth.

  Rachel and Kirsty followed, and the three friends zoomed along High Street. They kept well above the heads of the dancing crowds and followed the faint, sweet melody of the flute.

  “We should be on the lookout for goblins,” Kirsty said. “Remember that Jack Frost’s spell has made them look more like people.”

  “Yes, they aren’t green anymore,” Rachel agreed as they wove their way between the street lights. “But the spell didn’t work completely, so we can still recognize them by their big noses, ears, and feet!”

  “The music’s getting louder again,” Fiona said, looking around. Suddenly, she gave a gasp of delight. “There’s my flute!”

  Rachel and Kirsty saw a little girl in a pink party dress and matching hat. She was skipping along, playing the magic flute. The beautiful tune brought people out of the stores and into the street, dancing as the little girl passed by.

  “After her!” Rachel cried, but Kirsty caught her arm.

  “Wait!” she said. “Who are they?” She pointed down at two strange-looking boys chasing the little girl.

  Their large noses and ears poked out from under their baseball caps, and their sneakers looked very big. They were arguing loudly as they raced after the girl, but the three fairy friends couldn�
��t hear exactly what they were saying.

  “Goblins!” Rachel gasped.

  “We have to stop them from stealing my flute from the little girl!” Fiona exclaimed.

  Fiona, Rachel, and Kirsty hovered above the girl, then ducked down to hide behind the white daisies on her pink hat. Rachel peeked cautiously over the hat’s brim at the little girl’s face.

  “Look at that big nose and those pointy ears!” Rachel whispered. “That’s no little girl with the magic flute — that’s a goblin!”

  Fiona and Kirsty leaned forward to look, but Fiona’s shimmery wings tickled the goblin’s ear. Annoyed, he swatted her away. The fairy tumbled off the hat.

  “Fiona, are you OK?” Rachel asked anxiously, as she and Kirsty rushed out from behind the daisies.

  “I’m fine!” Fiona panted, pausing in midair to give her crumpled wings a shake.

  “Look out! Fairy alert!” roared a gruff voice.

  Disappointed, Fiona, Rachel, and Kirsty looked around. The boy goblins were rushing toward them, yelling loudly.

  Fiona grabbed Kirsty’s and Rachel’s hands and pulled them to a nearby tree, where they hid among the leaves.

  The “girl” goblin lowered the flute and glared at the other two.

  “Stop shouting!” he grumbled. “You’re interrupting my beautiful music!”

  “But we saw fairies —” the bigger boy goblin began.

  “Don’t be silly!” snapped the “girl” goblin, glancing around. Because the music had stopped, the people had stopped dancing, too. The crowd was beginning to break up. “There are no fairies here!” He eyed the other two goblins suspiciously. “I thought my disguise might fool you, but I know what you’re up to,” he went on. “You just want to steal my magic flute!”

  “Well, now that you mention it …” the smallest goblin said playfully. Then he lunged forward, grabbing one end of the flute. “Let me have it!”

  “No way!” yelled the other goblin, holding on to the mouthpiece of the flute for dear life.

  The girls watched in horror as the two goblins began playing tug of war with Fiona’s flute.

  “The flute’s breaking!” Kirsty exclaimed. “They’re ripping it apart!”

  “Don’t worry,” Fiona explained quickly. “Flutes are meant to come apart. They are made in three pieces!”

  As the goblins pulled harder, the flute broke into sections. The two goblins were left with a piece each, and the middle section clattered to the ground. The third goblin snatched it up immediately.

  “Now we all have a flute!” he boasted. He put the piece to his lips, and the goblin with the end piece did the same. But when they blew into them, nothing happened.

  “You fools!” The “girl” goblin snickered, holding up the mouthpiece. “You can’t play a flute without this!”

  The other two goblins sprang at him. He dodged them and dashed off, still laughing. Scowling, the others raced after him.

  Rachel, Kirsty, and Fiona flew after the goblins. But they found it difficult to keep up with them, because they had to keep ducking and diving to make sure they weren’t spotted by any of the shoppers.

  “We can’t lose them!” Rachel panted as the goblins raced past the Wetherbury Museum.

  “They’re going toward Willow Hill!” Kirsty cried as the goblins swerved away from High Street and headed out into the countryside.

  “Perfect!” Fiona replied. “We’ll be able to fly faster once we’re out of the village and don’t have to worry about being spotted.”

  The goblins had all kicked off their shoes so that they could run even faster, but the “girl” goblin was still wearing his dress, wig, and hat. Now they rushed into the woods on Willow Hill. Fiona, Rachel, and Kirsty zoomed through the trees after them, speeding up since it was finally safe to do so. It didn’t take them long to reach the goblins.

  “Give me back my flute!” Fiona demanded.

  The goblins were so startled, they almost jumped out of their skins!

  “Fairies!” they screeched, and immediately took off in three different directions.

  “Which way should we go?” Kirsty cried.

  “We’ll take one at a time,” Fiona decided quickly. “That one first!” She pointed at the goblin who held the end section of the flute.

  The goblin was weaving his way in and out of the trees, the end piece clutched firmly in his hand. Fiona, Rachel, and Kirsty raced after him.

  “Why don’t you just give up?” Rachel yelled. “You’re no match for the three of us!”

  The goblin chuckled. “Actually,” he said smugly, twisting around to look at Rachel, “three silly fairies are no match for me!”

  The goblin was so busy boasting and bragging that he didn’t watch where he was going. There was a log in his path, and he tripped right over it, going head-over-heels with a loud shriek.

  As he fell, the goblin lost his grip on the flute piece. It flew from his hand and sailed through the air!

  “Quick!” Fiona cried.

  She and the girls rushed toward the end section of the flute as it tumbled downward. Between the three of them, they managed to catch it before it hit the ground. Then, with a whisk of Fiona’s wand, a puff of glittering magic dust shrank the piece back to Fairyland size.

  “We’d better see if the goblin is OK,” said Rachel.

  Luckily, the goblin had landed in a soft pile of leaves. As Rachel hovered above the pile, the goblin crawled out, dusting himself off and muttering angrily. But Rachel thought she was seeing things when a second goblin also popped his head out of the leaves!

  “Oh, no!” she called to Kirsty and Fiona. “The goblins are multiplying!”

  “You landed right in the middle of my hiding place!” shouted the second goblin furiously.

  “You be quiet!” screeched the first goblin. The two of them began to wrestle, sending the leaves whirling in all directions.

  “Just give the second piece of the flute to us!” said Kirsty.

  The goblins stopped wrestling and stared down at their hands in panic.

  “I don’t have my flute piece!” groaned the first goblin.

  “I don’t have mine, either!” added the second one. “You stole it!”

  “No, I didn’t!” the first goblin declared.

  As the goblins began arguing again, Rachel suddenly spotted a gleam of silver among the fallen leaves.

  “Fiona, I think the missing piece is down there, hidden under the leaves!” she whispered. “But how will we get to it?”

  “Leave it to me,” Fiona said. She pointed her wand at the leaves and began to sing:

  “Pretty leaves, orange and gold, lie fallen on the ground. When you hear my magical song, rise up and dance around!”

  Immediately, the leaves rose up in a colorful cloud and began to swirl around the two goblins.

  “Help!” the first goblin yelled. He swatted at the leaves and accidentally smacked the second goblin on the nose.

  “Ow!” the second goblin roared, jumping up and down with rage.

  “There’s the second piece of flute!” Rachel whispered.

  She pointed to where the middle section of the flute rested uncovered on the grass. Immediately, Fiona, Rachel, and Kirsty swooped down, and a wave of Fiona’s wand transformed it back to Fairyland size. The goblins were still trying to fight their way out of the whirlwind of leaves, so Fiona and the girls quickly flew away.

  “Two down, one to go!” Fiona smiled as she fastened the pieces together. “Now, where’s the goblin who has the mouthpiece?”

  “He can’t be far away,” Kirsty replied.

  But the goblin seemed to have disappeared. Fiona and the girls hunted high and low, behind trees and under bushes, but the goblin was nowhere to be found.

  “What do we do now?” asked Kirsty. Fiona glanced up into one of the trees where a squirrel sat, gnawing on a nut.

  “Maybe we need some help,” she replied.

  Curious, Kirsty and Rachel watched as Fiona pursed her
lips and whistled a short, magical tune.

  “Now ask the squirrel if he’s seen the goblin,” Fiona said.

  Rachel cleared her throat.

  “Excuse me,” she called. “We’re looking for a goblin. Have you seen him?”

  The squirrel stopped gnawing and looked down at Rachel.

  “I’m afraid I haven’t seen anyone,” he replied. “Except you! Sorry I can’t be of more help.”

  Fiona had used her magic so that the girls could speak with the animals! “I haven’t seen any goblins, either!” chirped a bluebird that was nesting higher up in the tree.

  “Thank you,” Rachel said with an astonished smile.

  Kirsty heard a rustling noise and spotted two rabbits in the bushes.

  “Can you help us, please?” she asked. “We’re looking for a goblin.”

  “Oh, we haven’t seen anyone,” the rabbits replied politely, before hopping off across the grass. “Sorry!”

  “Let’s try a different part of the woods,” Fiona said.

  As they flew deeper into the forest, a flash of dark orange caught Rachel’s eye. A fox was sitting by a large bush.

  “Let’s ask that fox if he’s seen the goblin,” Rachel suggested. But as they swooped down, they could see that the fox looked very upset.

  “Hello there,” Fiona called. “What’s wrong?”

  The fox let out a heavy sigh. “Someone stole my den,” he explained. “I built a cozy home among the roots of a big oak tree. I left, just for a minute, and now someone’s stolen it!”

  “Do you know who?” Kirsty asked sympathetically.

  The fox shook his head. “No,” he barked. “All I know is that a big blob wedged itself in my den. It won’t come out, and I can’t get in!”