The Sugar Ball

by Helen Perelman

  Cocoa smiled at Dash. Even at a time like this, Dash was happy to think about sweets and sledding.

  “The snow that fell that day was different from other winter storms,” Raina continued to read. “The normal winter white snow that usually fell in Sugar Valley didn’t come. Instead, the snow was a deep, brown chocolate powder and piled up in high drifts around the valley.”

  “So they could just make hot chocolate by sticking their cups in the snow!” Dash interrupted.

  “Shhh,” Melli scolded gently. “Let Raina finish.”

  Raina looked over at Dash and winked. Then she read more. “The storm lasted for a week. No one knew what to make of the weather. But the fluffy sweet powder was nothing that anyone had ever seen before.”

  Cocoa leaned over to the book and read the next line with a heavy heart. “Some said it was a gift,” she read. “And others said it was a curse. Sugar Valley was under a chocolate spell.”

  “So mint,” Dash said. “I would have had plenty to make out of chocolate snow! Peppermint and chocolate is delicious!”

  “The chocolate snow stayed around for weeks,” Raina read, turning the page. “Many fairies were cooped up inside their homes. Most fairies learned how to make all sorts of chocolate treats using the powdered chocolate. They had to use the snow. There was so much chocolate!”

  “What happened?” Berry asked.

  Melli inched forward. She bit her nails. “Go on, Raina,” she said. “Tell us what happened.”

  “The chocolate snow started to melt,” Raina said. “There were great chocolate floods, and Chocolate River overflowed.”

  “What a chocolate mess!” Melli muttered.

  Raina nodded and continued to read. “The snow seeped into all the sugar soil.”

  “Oh no,” Melli said. “The crops!” Her hand flew to her mouth.

  “The spring and summer crops all had a hint of chocolate,” Raina read. “It took two whole years to rid the soil of the chocolate taste.”

  “Bittersweet,” Cocoa said, shaking her head. “Too much chocolate is never a good idea.”

  Berry stood up and walked around. “Do you think the chocolate syrup puddles we saw are going to ruin the candy crops?”

  Melli shot Berry a look.

  “What?” Berry said. “I’m just asking.”

  Cocoa lowered her head. “Berry is asking a good question,” she said. She knew that Melli didn’t like it when the friends didn’t get along, but Cocoa couldn’t be mad at Berry for stating the truth. The crops were in danger. This situation was more serious than the Sugar Ball being canceled. They had to fix this problem quickly before the chocolate spread all over Sugar Valley.

  Raina closed the book.

  Cocoa sighed. Now what were they going to do?

  Chocolate Thoughts

  Cocoa fiddled with her chocolate dot bracelet. No one said a word after Raina finished reading the story of the great chocolate storm. Cocoa lifted her eyes from her wrist and glanced at her four friends. Their worried expressions made Cocoa uneasy. The missing chocolate wand could ruin all the candy in Sugar Valley. At that moment she almost wished that Mogu had stolen the magic chocolate wand. At least she had some idea how to handle the salty old troll. But now she felt helpless.

  Just then Cocoa felt Melli’s arm around her. “We need to find the wand, that’s all,” she said quietly.

  “Melli’s right,” Berry chimed in. “This isn’t a huge chocolate snowstorm. Chances are, these chocolate puddles will dry up quickly. The candy crops will be fine.”

  “We don’t know that,” Cocoa whispered.

  “Let’s see what we do know,” Raina said. She took out a notebook and started writing. “There’s a missing magic chocolate wand. And chocolate from Sour Orchard all the way to Gummy Forest.”

  “Someone has definitely gotten hold of the wand. Someone who is clearly not a Chocolate Fairy,” Dash said.

  Melli flew over to Dash and gave her a tight squeeze. “That’s it!” she shouted. “What we need is a Chocolate Fairy to make another wand to clean up the mess! A new magic wand could get rid of the chocolate spell.”

  “She’d need the first wand to be able to reverse the spell,” Raina said, shaking her head.

  “But maybe I could make something to help clean up the mess,” Cocoa blurted out. “I just can’t sit here wondering what to do.” She stood up. “Send a sugar fly if you hear or see anything,” Cocoa told them. “I’m going back to Chocolate Woods.”

  “Do you want company?” Melli asked.

  Cocoa fluttered her wings. “Maybe in a little while,” she said. “For now I need to concentrate on chocolate thoughts.”

  As Cocoa headed back to Chocolate Woods, she was saddened to see all the puddles of chocolate in Sugar Valley. Berry was right … whoever had the wand was not a Chocolate Fairy. A Chocolate Fairy would know how to hold the wand with better aim and skill. She shook her head. But what Candy Fairy would want to steal her wand?

  Before Cocoa went into Chocolate Woods, she decided to sit on Caramel Hills to think. She was happy to see that there was no sign of chocolate on the golden hill.

  Cocoa sat and wondered what would happen to the crops and thought about how sad all the fairies would be if there was no Sugar Ball. A tear fell from Cocoa’s eye. How could she even tell Princess Lolli? To think that she had once been so excited about her chocolate royal wand!

  Out of the corner of her eye, Cocoa saw a flash of chocolate. At first she thought she was seeing things. But then she realized—there was a chocolate clue happening right in front of her! She got up and flew toward the caramel tree dripping with chocolate. She touched the chocolate. The thin chocolate was like syrup.

  How strange, she thought. The wand must be nearby.

  She flew up to the top of the tree and looked around. This had to be a fresh hit. The chocolate hadn’t been there before. Her wings began to flutter. Was this the final chocolate clue? She scooted to the edge of the tree branch and scouted the area. She didn’t realize it, but she was holding her breath. She was nervous and excited at the same time. Right beside a small chocolate oak tree she spotted her chocolate royal wand!

  The sight took her breath away, and she gasped out loud. Cocoa saw the wand—and knew the fairy holding it!

  The Power of Chocolate

  Cocoa flew down to the small chocolate oak. Her eyes never left her chocolate wand. “Cara, what are you doing with that?” she asked the small Caramel Fairy. Melli’s little sister stood wide-eyed, staring back at her.

  “Oh, Cocoa!” Cara cried. Tears sprang from her eyes and she sobbed so hard that Cocoa couldn’t understand a word she was saying.

  At that moment Cocoa wasn’t angry at all. She reached out, took the wand, and put her arm around the young fairy. “Why don’t you start at the beginning and tell me what happened?” she asked gently. She guided Cara over to a rock and sat her down. Cara still hadn’t stopped crying. “Please stop,” Cocoa begged her. “If we are going to fix this mess, we have to know what happened.”

  Cara sniffled and took quick breaths to try to calm down. “Please don’t tell Melli or Princess Lolli,” she said. She looked up at Cocoa. “I really am so sorry for this mess that I’ve made.”

  “Cara, just tell me what happened,” Cocoa begged. She gave Cara’s shoulder a tight squeeze. “I promise I won’t be mad.”

  Cara’s shoulders relaxed and she was able to breathe easier. “Well,” Cara began, “I saw your wand on the ground after Sun Dip. It was sticking out of one of the licorice bushes by Red Licorice Lake.” She wiped her eyes with her hand. “I was going to give it back to you. That’s why I picked it up.” Her brown eyes glanced at the wand now in Cocoa’s hands. “But the wand is just so beautiful.”

  “It’s the power of chocolate,” Cocoa said. “It’s very hard to resist.”

  Cara nodded. “Yes,” she agreed.

  “And so you tried it out?” Cocoa asked.

  “I didn’t realize the magic
was so strong,” Cara went on. “As soon as I picked up the wand, things started to change into chocolate.” The Caramel Fairy sniffled. “And the more I tried to stop that from happening, the more chocolate I made!”

  Standing up, Cara walked over to the chocolate oak and leaned against the tree. “I wanted to fix what I had done, but I couldn’t,” she explained. “I went to find one of Raina’s books. I thought I could find the answer without anyone knowing what I had done.”

  “Why didn’t you just come to me or to Melli?” Cocoa asked.

  Cara looked down at her golden brown shoes. “I wanted to fix my mess by myself,” she said.

  “Oh, Cara.” Cocoa sighed. “You should never be scared to tell a friend that you need help.”

  Pulling her hair away from her face, Cara let out a long sigh. “I guess,” she said. “But at the time, I thought Raina’s books could offer a quick fix.” She let her hair fall around her shoulders.

  “Those books don’t always have the answer,” Cocoa said sadly.

  Cara paced around the tree. “When I got to Gummy Forest, Mogu was there!” she said. “I had never seen a troll up close before. He was so salty! I panicked and caused a chocolate explosion.”

  Cocoa flew over to Cara and took her hand. “Yes, I’ve seen Gummy Forest.” She guided the young fairy back to the rock. “And then why did you go to Sour Orchard?”

  “I remember hearing that Berry went to see Lemona the Sour Orchard Fairy,” Cara said. “Lemona was able to help Berry with those sour heart candies that she found by Chocolate River.”

  Cocoa remembered how difficult that journey had been for Berry. Berry was afraid to go to a different part of Sugar Valley. Raina had gone with her, and together they had found the Sour Orchard Fairy. And Cara, who was much younger, had gone by herself! Poor Cara, she really was trying to do everything alone.

  “I didn’t get very far into Sour Orchard when the wand starting oozing chocolate syrup,” Cara told Cocoa. “Then I knew that I was really in a mess.” She hung her head. “I heard the sugar flies buzzing about the Sugar Ball being canceled, and I got scared. I couldn’t believe I had caused so much trouble. I came back here and thought I’d be safe in Chocolate Woods.”

  The wand in Cocoa’s hands sparkled in the sunlight. The candy jewels were catching the sun’s rays, and the fairy etched in the round globe was smiling. When she’d had the idea for the Sugar Ball accessory, Cocoa had never dreamed that the wand would create so many problems. Cocoa looked back at Cara’s sad face.

  “I thought it would be fun to try to be a Chocolate Fairy,” Cara said softly. She was staring down at her hands. “At least for a little while.”

  “Just because you are a Caramel Fairy doesn’t mean that you can’t work with chocolate,” Cocoa told her. “Melli and I work together all the time. But trying to make chocolate? You’re going to have to leave that to the Chocolate Fairies.”

  Cara nodded.

  “You know, when I was younger, I really wanted to be a Gummy Fairy,” Cocoa told her. “I was so jealous of all the colors that Raina got to play with. Her candies were all the colors of the rainbow. Chocolate only has a few shades, you know.”

  “Really? You wanted to be a different kind of fairy?” Cara asked. Her eyes were wide with disbelief.

  “Yes, even though I am one hundred percent chocolate!” Cocoa exclaimed. “As you can imagine, my trials didn’t work out so well.” She laughed to herself as she recalled her attempts. “My candies were not very good or tasty. I learned an important lesson. Candy Fairies can enjoy all kinds of candy in Sugar Valley, but when it comes to making candy, we need to stick with what comes naturally.”

  Cara giggled. “Well, I believe that. I can’t seem to aim right or make anything except chocolate puddles!”

  Cocoa was happy to see a smile appear on Cara’s face. She held out her hand to her. “Come on,” Cocoa said. “Let’s let everyone know the wand has been found and get Sugar Valley cleaned up.”

  For the first time since the wand had disappeared, Cocoa had hope that the Sugar Ball still had a chance of happening.

  Chocolate Cleanup

  Cocoa stood by the chocolate oak tree and watched Cara and Melli. She wanted to give the sisters a few minutes together. After Cara had calmed down, Cocoa pleaded with her to let Melli know what had happened. Just as Cocoa expected, Melli was in Chocolate Woods in a flash once she got the sugar fly message. Knowing Melli, she would feel terrible that Cara hadn’t come to her for help.

  Melli’s arm was around her sister as the little fairy told her story. After they hugged, Cocoa flew over to them.

  “I sent a sugar fly to Candy Castle,” she told the sisters. “I wanted to let Princess Lolli know that there was no chocolate spell, just a chocolate mess.” She looked at Cara. “I didn’t get into all the details,” she said. “So if you want to tell her what happened, that can be your choice.”

  Cara smiled. “Thank you, Cocoa,” she whispered. “And I promise I will tell her. I don’t want her to think that any of this was your fault.”

  “Licking lollipops!” Berry shouted as she sprang down beside them. “I just heard the sweet news from the sugar flies. No chocolate spell!” She swooped up in the air and then landed on her feet. “But we need a cleanup crew. Sugar Valley is still chocolate-coated.”

  “And we’re just the fairies for the cleanup job,” Dash said as she landed next to Berry.

  “We came as soon as we heard the good news,” Raina added. She hovered above her friends.

  Cocoa laughed. “You see, Cara,” she said, “you always need your friends around to lend a helping hand.”

  “Sugar flies really do get the news out in Sugar Valley,” Cara said.

  “Sure as sugar!” the fairies said together, laughing.

  Feeling a boost of energy, Cocoa took charge. “We should each take a part of Sugar Valley to cleanup. The faster we get the chocolate off the ground, the better the chance for the crops.”

  “And for making sure that the Sugar Ball happens tonight,” Melli added.

  The fairies all stood together in agreement.

  “I’ll take Gummy Forest,” Raina said.

  “Consider Fruit Chew Meadow cleaned,” Berry said.

  “Peppermint Grove will be chocolate free after I’m done!” Dash exclaimed.

  “Cara and I can help out in Sour Orchard,” Melli offered. She grabbed her sister’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

  “And I’ll take care of Red Licorice Lake,” Cocoa added.

  “Sounds like we’ve got a plan,” Melli said.

  “Hopefully we’ll have a Sugar Ball to attend too!” Dash said with a grin. “Now that there is no spell, we can have a party tonight.”

  “But first we need to make sure all the crops are safe,” Cocoa said. “The chocolate puddles haven’t been sitting too long, so maybe there won’t be any damage.”

  Raina agreed. “I think we have a good chance,” she said. “From what I have read, the chocolate hasn’t been on the ground long enough to change the crops.”

  “Let’s all meet back at Candy Castle at Sun Dip,” Cocoa told her friends. “That should give us enough time to clean up and then talk to Princess Lolli.”

  “Oh, I hope she’ll let us have the ball,” Dash mumbled.

  “Me too,” Cocoa whispered.

  The large orange sun touched the top of the Frosted Mountains. Cocoa was exhausted. Cleaning up after a chocolate mess was not an easy task. Every part of her body ached from the tip of her wings to the bottom of her toes. She looked around at the sugar sand shoreline of Red Licorice Lake. Not a drop of chocolate in sight. Cocoa sighed. She hoped her friends had had the same luck in their spots.

  When Cocoa found her friends, they all looked just as worn out as she felt.

  “Chocolate cleanup completed,” Raina announced when she saw Cocoa. “There was no damage to the gummy crops that I saw.”

  “Fruit Chew Meadow was fine too,” Berry said.
<
br />   “I think everything is going to be okay,” Dash agreed.

  Cara stood up. “Melli and I took care of Sour Orchard,” she told Cocoa. “Everything looks back to normal.”

  Cocoa clapped her hands. “Choc-o-rific!” she exclaimed.

  “I’m going to talk to Princess Lolli,” Cara said.

  Cocoa and her friends surrounded Cara. Princess Lolli was fair and true, but telling her something like this would be scary for the young fairy.

  “We’ll go with you,” Cocoa told her. She knew she was speaking for all her friends.

  The fairies found Princess Lolli in the royal throne room. She listened to Cara’s story about finding Cocoa’s wand and how she couldn’t stop the chocolate from spreading all over Sugar Valley.

  “I am in favor of the fairies experimenting with new candies and techniques,” Princess Lolli said, “but you should always ask permission. Especially if magic is involved.”

  Cara nodded her head. “I promise never to try that trick again,” she vowed. “From now on, I’m sticking with caramel.”

  “A fine choice for you,” Princess Lolli told her. “You are a good Caramel Fairy, Cara. You are full of sweetness, and I know you didn’t mean any harm to the kingdom.”

  Melli took Cara’s hand. “Please don’t ever feel that you can’t come to me for help.”

  “All of us are here for you,” Cocoa said. “Sure as sugar.”

  Cara smiled as she looked at the fairies around her. “Thank you,” she said. “I promise.”

  Princess Lolli glanced up at the large candy clock on the wall. “Sun Dip is over, and now it’s getting late.” She turned to look at the other fairies. “What do you think about getting on with the Sugar Ball?”

  The fairies all cheered.

  “Those are some extra-sweet words!” Cocoa cried. “I can’t wait to wear my new dress.” She put her hands on her hips. “But maybe I should leave my chocolate wand at home.”