The goblin holding the charmed candy cane stuck out his tongue and took a long, slurpy lick.
“Yuck!” squawked the goblin. “Disgusting!”
He thrust the charmed candy cane away from himself, and another goblin grabbed it and took a taste.
“UGH!” he squealed. “Strawberries and cream!”
“We have to stop them from tasting it,” said Natalie in a frantic voice. “There are so many goblins that if they all taste it, the candy cane will be completely eaten!”
“Maybe we could take them by surprise and snatch it away from them,” suggested Kirsty. “If we all pull together, we might be strong enough.”
“It’s worth a try!” said Rachel. “Let’s go!”
They swooped down from the chandelier as the charmed candy cane was passed from goblin to goblin. Each of them took one lick and then made a revolted face.
“I wanted it to taste like rotten tomatoes,” wailed one.
“I was hoping it would taste like moldy pudding,” said another disappointedly.
As he thrust the charmed candy cane at the next goblin, Rachel, Kirsty, and Natalie threw their arms around its curved handle.
“Pull!” cried Rachel.
The three friends pulled with all their might, and the surprised goblin hung on to the end, squawking in alarm.
“Let go!” he squealed. “Help! Fairies!”
Jack Frost turned, yelled, and grabbed the stripy candy, shaking it as hard as he could. The three fairies were sent spinning into a corner of the Great Hall.
“This is mine!” Jack Frost bellowed, taking a big lick of the handle. “And I’M going to eat it!”
“No!” cried Natalie.
Jack Frost just laughed. “You can’t stop me!”
He took a great big lick and shook his head.
“ICK! ACK! UGH!” he spat. “It’s gross!”
He flung the candy away and it skidded into the corner where the fairies had landed. It came to a stop next to them, and Natalie returned it to fairy-size immediately.
“Yes!” exclaimed Rachel and Kirsty together.
Natalie raised her wand to return them to the Christmas Workshop, but then she paused and looked at Jack Frost. He had slumped down into his throne, looking very miserable.
“You might as well leave,” he told them. “I should have known that my plan wouldn’t work.”
“What do you mean?” asked Rachel.
“Nothing ever goes right for me,” Jack Frost mumbled. “I’ve never had a Christmas stocking, and this year is going to be just the same.”
He pulled a large polka-dot handkerchief out of his pocket and blew into it noisily. The goblins stared at him in amazement.
“He looks really miserable,” said Kirsty.
“I almost feel sorry for him,” added Natalie.
“Me, too,” said Rachel. “But what are we going to do about it?”
The three friends looked at one another.
“It’s Christmas. We can’t leave him when he’s so upset,” said Kirsty firmly.
“But we can’t let him have the charmed candy cane either,” Rachel replied.
“It’s OK,” said Natalie with a little smile. “I’ve got an idea.”
Stockings and Sleigh Bells
Natalie raised her wand and chanted a magic spell.
“Pie, stocking, and candy cane,
Back at home where they’ll remain.
Girls and boys from east to west
Get the treats that they like best.
Santa, hear my Christmas plea,
Fill each stocking that you see.
Let this castle, cold and gray,
Be full of joy on Christmas Day.”
Tiny sparkling snowflakes whooshed out of her wand like a fountain. The sparkles whirled around the Great Hall, touching each goblin and finishing in the hands of Jack Frost.
When the sparkles cleared, every goblin was holding a horrible, holey stocking. On Jack Frost’s lap was a large blue stocking decorated with lightning bolts.
The goblins jumped around in excitement, and a big smile spread over Jack Frost’s face.
“I hope that they all have fun opening their presents together,” said Natalie. “At Christmas, one of the most important things is to have a good time with your family and friends.”
“I agree,” said Kirsty. “Now that we have found the charmed candy cane, I think it’s time for us to go back to our families.”
“And it’s time for me to take the charmed candy cane back to the Christmas Workshop,” said Natalie. “Thank you so much for helping me to find my magic items.”
She put her arms around the girls and they hugged tightly.
“We’re just glad that we found them in time,” Rachel replied. “Merry Christmas, Natalie!”
“Merry Christmas, both of you,” said Natalie, her eyes shining. “I don’t need to cast a spell to know that you are going to have a wonderful Christmas Day.”
She waved her wand and a whirl of fairy dust surrounded Rachel and Kirsty, lifting them off their feet.
“Good-bye, Natalie!” called Rachel. “Good-bye, Jack Frost!”
When the sparkles cleared, Rachel’s and Kirsty’s warm coats were gone, and they were back in the peaceful living room of the holiday cottage. The lights were twinkling and they could hear their parents chatting in the sunroom.
Rachel looked at the clock. “It’s almost midnight, just like when we left,” she said. “No time has passed since we went to Fairyland.”
The living room door creaked open slowly. Buttons ran in, wagging his tail. He licked their hands, delighted to see them.
“Do you think he knows that we’ve been on an adventure?” asked Kirsty.
“Of course he knows,” said Rachel, kneeling down and patting him. “He’s a very smart dog.”
Suddenly, Kirsty gasped with excitement.
“Rachel, look at the mantelpiece,” she whispered.
In the orange glow from the fire, they could see that the plate of pies had been replaced by a few crumbs. The stockings hanging above the fire were bulging, and there was a feeling of magic in the air. Santa had been to the cottage!
Both girls reached out to their stockings, and then they paused. They looked at each other.
“Should we wait until the morning to open them?” asked Rachel.
“That’s just what I was thinking,” Kirsty said. “It’ll be much more Christmassy to open the presents with our parents.”
They smiled at each other and then tiptoed out of the living room, with Buttons following them. As they were walking up the stairs to their bedroom, Kirsty stopped and touched Rachel’s arm.
“Listen,” she whispered.
In the distance they could hear the faint tinkling of sleigh bells. Santa was on his way to visit someone else. Rachel sighed happily.
“This has been one of the most Christmassy Christmas adventures we have ever had,” she said. “Merry Christmas, Kirsty!”
Teaser
Don’t miss any of Rachel and Kirsty’s other fairy adventures! Join them as they try to help
Read on for a special sneak peek. . . .
“Look at all the snow!” Kirsty Tate said happily.
She jumped into a powdery pile and squealed in delight.
“It’s so beautiful,” said her best friend, Rachel Walker. “I love it here already!”
“And you haven’t even seen the inside of the cabin yet!” said her dad with a laugh. “Come on, you two. You can decorate the Christmas tree.”
“Oh, yes!” exclaimed Kirsty. “Each cabin comes with its own Christmas tree, doesn’t it?”
Kirsty’s and Rachel’s parents had been planning this Christmas trip for months. They had booked a big cabin in the country for everyone to share. It was made of brown wooden logs that glowed in the winter sunshine, and a thick layer of snow covered the roof. There was a sign on the door that read: CHRISTMAS CABIN.
The Walkers and the Tates ca
rried their bags into the cozy cabin. A fire was crackling in a woodburning stove. Large squishy couches and armchairs filled the room, and colored Christmas lights were draped around every window. It was beautiful! There was just one problem. . . .
“Where’s the tree?” asked Rachel.
Mr. and Mrs. Tate checked the kitchen, Mr. and Mrs. Walker checked the dining room, and Kirsty and Rachel checked the bedrooms. But there was no Christmas tree anywhere in the cabin.
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e-ISBN 978-0-545-72563-7
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First Scholastic printing, November 2013
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Natalie the Christmas Stocking Fairy Page 4