Mr. Tate finished his cup of coffee and stood up. “I’m going to pick up Gran and take her to watch the race. We’ll look for you there,” he told the girls.
“OK, Dad. ’Bye!” Kirsty said with a wave.
Just then, Mrs. Tate hurried into the kitchen, wearing running shorts, a T-shirt, and sneakers. She smiled at Kirsty and Rachel. “Sorry, I can’t stop, girls. It’s almost race time!”
“That’s all right, Mom. We’re right behind you,” Kirsty said.
“We’re coming to cheer you on,” Rachel explained.
“See you at the woods, then!” Mrs. Tate called cheerfully as she headed out the door.
A few minutes later, Kirsty and Rachel left for Green Wood Forest, too.
“Let’s take the path by the river,” Kirsty suggested. “It’s a little longer, but it’s much prettier.”
“Oh, yes! Maybe we’ll see some ducklings,” Rachel agreed.
As the girls walked up Twisty Lane, sunlight poured through the dancing tree branches. Spots of light speckled the road like golden coins. Soon Rachel and Kirsty reached the river. It was very pretty down by the water, where buttercups dotted the grass and cows grazed happily.
Rachel spotted little puffs of mist rising from the water. “Look! Do you think that could be fairy mist?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” Kirsty replied. “There’s usually mist near water, isn’t there?”
“Oh, yes, especially in the morning and at night,” Rachel remembered. She felt a little disappointed, but brightened when she saw two swans gliding by. Dragonflies perched in the reeds beside the sparkling river. “It’s a perfect day!” she said, smiling.
Kirsty nodded. Up ahead, she could see the edge of the forest. Something was shimmering on one of the tree branches. It looked like a silvery scarf, sparkling softly in the sunlight. “What’s that?” she asked Rachel.
Rachel went over to look. “I don’t know, but it’s beautiful!” she replied. “It looks just like the tinsel that we use to decorate our Christmas tree.”
“There’s lots more of it on the other branches, too. Isn’t it pretty?” Kirsty touched a strand of the strange, silvery stuff. It stuck to her fingers for a moment before melting away. “It feels cold!” Kirsty shivered, rubbing her hands together.
Rachel leaned forward for a closer look. Tiny silvery lights shimmered in the fine, silky threads. “This has to be fairy mist,” she whispered excitedly.
Kirsty’s eyes lit up. “I think you’re right,” she agreed. She looked toward a clump of tall oak trees. A wispy cloud of mist was floating gently down toward the trees from the sky. “More fairy mist!” Kirsty pointed out. “Come on!”
The girls ran toward a path that led into the woods. They were out of breath by the time they stopped in the forest and looked around. Wispy mist clung to trees everywhere and coated the grass with tiny droplets. Every twig, leaf, and flower glowed with a soft silver light.
And where the sun reached down through the trees, the fairy mist sparkled with rainbow-colored light.
“Oh!” breathed Rachel. “It’s so beautiful!”
Kirsty stared in awe at the forest. It looked almost as magical as Fairyland!
Slowly, the girls moved forward. After a few steps, Rachel realized that she couldn’t see very far ahead.
“This mist is getting thicker,” she said. “The goblin with the Mist Feather must be hiding really close by.”
Kirsty nodded as thick fog swirled around them. “You’re right, Rachel,” she agreed. “I can hardly see a thing. The goblin could be right behind us!”
Rachel rubbed her bare arms and shivered. Only a few minutes had passed, but as the mist grew thicker, the forest started to feel dark and unfriendly. Nothing glittered or gleamed anymore. The fog was settling around the girls like a cold blanket.
Shadowy figures moved up ahead. A man wearing a red T-shirt ran out in front of the girls, and another runner burst out of the trees. They were heading straight for each other. “Watch out!” cried Kirsty. But it was too late. Crash! The runners bumped right into each other.
“Sorry. Didn’t see you there!” one of them said, rubbing his head.
“I’ve never seen fog like this in summer,” replied the other one.
Rachel and Kirsty could hear rustles and bumps all around them. Voices echoed through the fog. Lots of runners were getting lost, and had to slow down and walk so they could avoid the trees.
“What a mess. This fog is ruining the race!” said Rachel.
The fog still seemed to be getting thicker. It hung over the trees, making them look dark and frightening.
Suddenly, something caught Kirsty’s eye. “Over there!” she cried, pointing.
A bright light was moving toward them, shining like a lantern. Soon the girls could see that it was a tiny gleaming fairy.
“Oh!” gasped Kirsty. “It’s Evie the Mist Fairy!”
“Hello again, Rachel and Kirsty,” cried Evie in a bright, tinkly voice. She hovered in the air in front of them. The girls had met Evie in Fairyland, along with the rest of the Weather Fairies. She had long dark hair and violet eyes. She wore a fluttery lilac dress with purple boots, and her wand had a sparkly silver tip. Wisps of shimmering mist drifted from it.
“Oh, we’re so happy to see you!” said Rachel.
“We really need your help,” Kirsty added. “We’re sure that the goblin with the Mist Feather is nearby.”
“Yes!” agreed Evie, a frown on her tiny face. “And he’s causing lots of misty mischief!”
“Could you leave a magic trail behind us as we go farther into the woods?” Rachel asked. “Then we can look for the goblin and still find our way back out.”
Evie grinned. She waved her wand and a fountain of fairy dust shot out. It floated to the ground and formed a glittering path. “Of course! Now we won’t get lost,” she said.
“But we might bump into the runners,” Kirsty pointed out. “Let’s turn ourselves into fairies, Rachel. Then we can fly.”
The Fairy Queen had given Rachel and Kirsty beautiful golden lockets full of fairy dust. The girls sprinkled themselves with the magic dust and shrank to fairy size. The trees seemed as big as giants’ castles in the thick fog.
“I love being a fairy!” Kirsty sang out.
Rachel twisted around to look over her shoulder. There were her fairy wings on her back, shining delicately.
“Hooray!” Evie rose into the air, a trail of glittering mist streaming from her wand, and the two girls flew along behind her.
Below them, the runners were still stumbling through the fog. “Poor Mom. She was really looking forward to the race today. That goblin is spoiling everyone’s fun,” said Kirsty.
Suddenly, Rachel spotted a dark, hunched shape in the mist below. She waved to Kirsty and Evie. “Look down there,” she called softly. “I think we found the goblin!”
They all floated down to investigate. The mist here was heavier and stickier. It pulled at Rachel’s wings as she flew through it. “Oh, it’s not a goblin—it’s just a dead tree.” She sighed, landing on the thick twisted trunk. She felt disappointed. The dark shape had looked just like a goblin from the air.
“We may not have found him yet,” Kirsty whispered to her friend, “but I still think that the goblin isn’t far away. The mist here smells musty, and it’s harder to fly through.”
Rachel fluttered her shiny wings. “Yes,” she agreed. “It’s like cold oatmeal.”
Just then, they heard a gruff voice complaining nearby. “It’s not fair! I’m cold and I’m lost and I’m hungry!” There was a loud sniff, like a pig snorting. “Poor me!”
Rachel, Kirsty, and Evie looked at one another in excitement.
“That’s definitely a goblin!” declared Evie.
“Quick! Let’s hide in that tree before he sees us,” suggested Rachel.
They flew up and landed on the branch of a huge oak tree, then peered down through the thick green leaves. Sure enough, the gob
lin sat on a log below them. They could see the top of his head and his huge bony feet. They could also hear a horrible gurgling sound, like slimy stuff going down a drain.
“Lost in this horrible forest! And I’m so hungry,” moaned the goblin, clutching his rumbling tummy. “I’d love some toadstool stew and worm dumplings!”
Suddenly he jumped up.“What was that? Who’s there?” He peered up into the tree branches. Rachel, Kirsty, and Evie quickly darted behind the oak leaves. After a moment the goblin sat down on his log again. “Must have been a squirrel,” he muttered. “Oh, I want to go home!”
The girls could see the goblin clearly now. He had bulging, crossed eyes and a big, lumpy nose like a potato. His arms were long and skinny but he had short legs and knobbly knees.
“Look what he’s holding!” whispered Evie.
Kirsty and Rachel peered through the leaves and saw that the goblin clutched a beautiful silvery feather with a lilac tip in his fingers. “The Mist Feather!” the girls exclaimed together.
Then Rachel frowned. “If the goblin’s lost in the fog, why doesn’t he use the magic feather to get rid of it?” she asked.
“Because he doesn’t know how,” Evie explained. “He’s waving the feather all over the place without thinking—but he’s only making more and more mist.” It was true. The goblin was shaking the Mist Feather and mumbling to himself as thick swirls of fog drifted around him.
“Earwig fritters, beetle pancakes, lovely slug sandwiches…” he muttered wistfully.
Just then, one of the runners passed close by. The goblin shot to his feet and hid behind a tree. He was shaking so much that the three friends could hear his knees knocking together. “It’s a…it’s a Pogwurzel!” he whispered in panic.
As the sound of the runner’s footsteps faded, the goblin peeked out again. “Phew! The Pogwurzel’s gone.” He flopped back down on the log, but kept looking around nervously.
Kirsty turned to Evie. “What is a Pogwurzel?” she asked.
Evie smiled, her violet eyes sparkling. “Pogwurzels are strange, magical, goblin-chasing monsters!” she replied.
Rachel looked at the fairy curiously. “Where do they live?” She and Kirsty had been to Fairyland a few times now. They had seen elves, goblins, and all kinds of fairies—but never a Pogwurzel.
Evie gave a peal of tinkly laughter. “Nowhere!” she said. “Because they don’t exist! You see, goblin children can be really naughty. Their mothers tell them that if they don’t behave, a Pogwurzel will come and chase them!”
Kirsty and Rachel laughed so hard that they almost fell off the branch.
Then Rachel turned to Kirsty and Evie in excitement. “I have an idea,” she whispered, her eyes shining. “I think I know how we can get the Mist Feather back!”
Evie and Kirsty stared at Rachel. “Tell us!” they cried.
Rachel outlined her plan. “If we can convince the goblin that the forest is full of Pogwurzels, he’ll do anything to escape. He’ll want the mist cleared away so that he can find his way out of the woods. Since he’s not clever enough to figure out how to use the Mist Feather himself, maybe we can convince him to give the feather to Evie and let her try.”
Evie clapped her hands together in excitement. “Then I can keep it and take it back to Doodle!” she said. “It’s a wonderful plan!”
“But I’m not sure how we can make the goblin think that there are hundreds of Pogwurzels in the forest,” Rachel added.
The three friends sat quietly, thinking. Kirsty thought of her mom and the other runners trying to find their way along the race course. That gave her an idea. “I know how we can convince the goblin that there are Pogwurzels around!” she cried. “Evie, if you make us human-sized again, Rachel and I can creep up on the goblin from behind. Then we’ll run past him, screaming that a Pogwurzel is chasing us!”
“Yes, that could work,” Evie agreed.
“We’ll have to be very convincing,” Rachel added.
Evie nodded. “But you two can do it. I know you can,” she said encouragingly.
The three friends flew silently down to the ground behind the oak tree. Evie waved her wand and the girls zoomed up to their normal height. “Ready?” asked Kirsty. “You bet,” Rachel replied. The girls crept toward the goblin. They could see him sitting on his log, still muttering to himself. “Now!” whispered Rachel.
Kirsty dashed forward. “Help! Help! Save us from the Pogwurzel!” she shouted.
Rachel was right behind her. “It’s huge and scary and won’t leave us alone!” she cried.
The goblin leaped to his feet. His eyes were as big as saucers. “What?” he gasped. “Who are you?”
Kirsty stopped. “Oh, my goodness, a goblin in Pogwurzel Wood!” she exclaimed, pretending to be surprised.
Rachel stopped, too. “You must be very brave,” she declared.
The goblin’s eyes flicked from Rachel to Kirsty. “Why?” he demanded shakily. “Are there many Pogwurzels around here?”
“Oh, yes,” Kirsty chimed in. “Hundreds. This forest is full of them. One of them was chasing us just now,” she added, looking nervously over her shoulder. “He can’t be far behind us.” Just then, Evie fluttered down, her wings shining in the fog. “Pogwurzels especially love to catch goblins, you know,” she said.
The goblin’s face turned pale with fear.
“If I were you, I’d get out of this forest right now,” Evie continued.
“But I can’t,” wailed the goblin. “The fog is so thick that I can hardly see my own toes!”
Evie smiled. “I’ll help you,” she said sweetly. “Just give me that feather you’re holding. I’ll use it to make a clear pathway out of the forest for you.”
Kirsty and Rachel could hardly breathe. Their plan was working so far, but what would the goblin do next?
He pinched his nose thoughtfully. “I don’t know. Jack Frost won’t like it if I give you the Mist Feather.”
“But he’s not the one being chased by a Pogwurzel, is he?” Rachel pointed out quickly.
“The Pogwurzels in this forest are extra-big,” Kirsty said. “And really, really mean.”
“So is Jack Frost,” the goblin said, looking torn. “I think I’ll keep the feather.”
Kirsty’s heart sank. It looked like the goblin was more stubborn than they had expected. She looked over at Rachel. Now what could they do?
Evie hovered close to the girls. “I have an idea,” she whispered. “You distract the goblin, so he won’t notice what I’m doing.”
“What are you all talking about?” asked the goblin suspiciously.
“Oh, we just think we heard another Pogwurzel,” Kirsty replied.
“Where?” the goblin spun around in fear.
While his back was turned, Evie waved her wand in a complicated pattern. A big fountain of silver and violet sparks shot into a nearby bush, sending fairy magic there.
“I can hear it! It’s coming this way!” Rachel called out.
“I don’t believe you,” the goblin sneered. “I can’t hear it. You’re just trying to scare me. I bet you never saw a Pogwurzel at all.”
“Listen for yourself, then,” Evie said.
The goblin turned his head to one side and frowned in concentration. Kirsty and Rachel waited. They weren’t exactly sure what Evie planned to do.
Suddenly a deep, scary roar came from the nearby bush. “Raaghh! I’m a scary Pogwurzel! And I’m hungry for Goblin Pie for my dinner!”
“Wow! Evie’s magical voice is really scary,” Kirsty whispered to Rachel.
The goblin stiffened. “Help me, Mommy!” he cried. “A Pogwurzel wants to eat me! I’m sorry I put those toenail clippings in your bed. I won’t do it again. Help!” He stumbled behind Kirsty and Rachel, trying to hide. “Don’t eat me, Mr. Pogwurzel! Eat these girls instead. I bet they taste sweeter than I do!” Evie’s magical voice came from the bush again. “I only eat goblins,” it boomed. “Especially really naughty ones—like you!” The go
blin squealed in alarm. His eyes bulged. He took the Mist Feather from his belt and thrust it at Evie. “Make the mist go away so I can get out of here,” he begged. “I don’t want to be made into Goblin Pie!”
Evie smiled, took the feather, and waved it expertly in the air. A clear path immediately appeared through the mist. The goblin gave one last terrified glance over his shoulder and then ran away as fast as he could, his big feet flapping noisily on the ground.
Kirsty, Rachel, and Evie laughed.
“Evie, that trick voice was fantastic!” Rachel said.
“It even scared me!” Kirsty laughed.
“And now we have the Mist Feather!” Evie said, waving it over her head.
Silver sparks shot into the air and the mist began to fade. Before long, the sun shone down onto the forest again.
Rachel and Kirsty beamed. “We can give Doodle another magic feather!” Rachel said happily.
Evie flew up and did a joyful twirl in the air. Silver and violet mist sparkled all around her.
“And the race should be easier now,” Kirsty added. “Let’s see if we can spot Mom before we head home to visit Doodle.”
The three friends made their way toward the race course.
The forest paths were tinged with gold, and the smell of earth and leaves filled the air. Runners pounded along between trees marked with big red signs. Everyone could see where they were going now.
“You’d better hide on my shoulder,” Rachel said to Evie.
The Weather Fairies Collection Page 7