Frozen Treats

by Helen Perelman

  Melli wrote a sugar fly note. I miss you all very much, she scribbled and then paused. I haven’t made any friends because the Ice Cream Fairies are like Frozen Fairies. Again she felt bad about sending sad thoughts, but she folded the note and sent it away.

  Since her friends weren’t there, Melli tried to imagine what they would say about this float situation. She was sure that Dash would be frustrated on the slow-moving ride and that Berry would love the attention of being in a parade. Cocoa and Raina would be excited about decorating the float.

  How was she going to get out of riding the float with Drizzle and Fluff? Now that Queen Swirl had gotten involved, it would be hard not to go. Melli watched the waves and saw how the tide was rolling in closer to her. Now the cold water was just reaching her toes.

  All of sudden Melli heard a loud cry. She flew up from the rock and looked around.

  “Hello? Where are you?” Melli called. “Are you all right?” She spun around in the air, looking for the creature that had called to her. Down by the water’s edge she saw a white shape in the sand. It looked like an animal.

  “Hot caramel!” Melli exclaimed. She saw a white seal struggling. The animal was trying to free herself before the tide rolled in.

  Melli flew out to her and saw a cone stuck on one of the seal’s flippers. “You sweet thing,” she cried. “You can’t swim.”

  With each wave, the water around the seal got deeper. If the tide came in and the seal was still stuck, the poor animal might drown if she couldn’t swim. Melli had no time to lose.

  Melli wished her friends were there to help. Raina would have the Fairy Code Book on hand and recite a story that would be helpful. Dash and Berry would be quick to come up with a plan, and Cocoa would be brave and daring.

  Melli had to act fast—and alone.

  “Hold on,” she said. She looked closely and saw that the cone had a thick layer of marshmallow topping on the edge. The cone was holding her flipper down in the sand. No wonder she couldn’t move.

  “You are lucky that I am a Caramel Fairy,” Melli told the seal. “I know all about how to deal with stickiness.”

  The seal relaxed a little with this news, but the water was still rising fast.

  And I thought I was in a sticky situation, Melli thought. She smiled and tried to stay calm so the seal wouldn’t worry.

  The truth was, Melli was concerned. She didn’t have much time before the water would get too deep for her to help. And she had to be extra-careful with her wings. If her wings got wet, she would not be able to fly, and that would be dangerous for both her and the seal.

  “Hold on,” Melli said. She tugged the cone with all her might, but it would not budge.

  The seal whimpered and looked up at Melli with the saddest eyes.

  “I’ll get it this time,” she said. Melli took out some powdered sugar from her pocket. She sprinkled the powder while the tide pulled back. “This should help,” she told the seal.

  Within seconds of a large rolling wave, Melli was able to pull the cone off the seal’s flipper. She hurled the sticky cone toward the shore. She would throw it out after she knew the seal was safe.

  The seal dove underwater and joyously flipped her flipper. Melli followed the animal to a rocky area where they both could rest on a high ledge away from the rising water.

  “What’s your name?” Melli asked.

  The seal dipped her hind flippers in the water and barked.

  “Dips?” Melli guessed. She laughed. “That sounds like a good name for a seal who lives in Ice Cream Isles.”

  Dips barked again, and Melli was pleased to have made at least one friend in this kingdom. Eager to talk to someone, Melli told the seal about the caramel sauce and about being far from home without her Candy Fairies.

  Dips nestled her cool, wet nose in Melli’s hand. Even though they didn’t speak the same language, Melli knew Dips was grateful for her help.

  “Sweet caramel sauce,” Melli said. “I’m so glad we met.”

  Dips clapped her front flippers together.

  Melli giggled. “Yes,” she said, grinning. “You helped me, too. You’re the first true friend that I’ve found here.” She slipped Dips a caramel from her pocket. “Thanks, Dips. You made me feel much better.”

  Together, Melli and Dips watched from the beach as the sun dipped down below the horizon. While it wasn’t the same as watching the sun slide behind the Frosted Mountains in Sugar Valley, the sky was a gorgeous swirl of scrumptious colors.

  “Sure as sugar, Sun Dip with a good friend is always sweet,” Melli said with a sigh. She hugged Dips, and they sat watching the sun slip out of sight.

  Cherry on a Sundae

  After Sun Dip, Melli returned to the palace gardens. She was sad to say good-bye to Dips, but she had to check on the caramel sauce one last time before dinner and tomorrow’s festivities. To her surprise, Drizzle and Fluff were there. And it looked like they were waiting for her!

  “Oh sweet sprinkles, she’s here!” Drizzle cried. She flew up to Melli as soon as she saw her.

  “Where have you been?” Fluff asked, trailing behind.

  Melli wasn’t sure if the fairies were asking because they cared or because they were mad. She shrugged. “I was at Sweet Cream Harbor,” she replied.

  “We’ve been waiting for you,” Drizzle said.

  “Why? Is the caramel sauce all right?” Melli asked, concerned.

  Drizzle said, “That’s not why we’re here, Melli.”

  “What do you mean?” Melli looked from Drizzle to Fluff and then back to Drizzle. “What’s going on? What’s wrong? What do you want?” Melli grew more and more upset.

  Slowly lifting her head, she knew there was no way she could hide the fact that she had started to cry. Meeting Dips at Sun Dip was nice and she was grateful to be here, but she was ready to leave. She touched her ice cream cone clip in her hair. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I miss my home.”

  Fluff handed Melli a handkerchief. “It must be hard to be so far from home.” She guided Melli over to a bench to sit down.

  “You aren’t what I thought you’d be like,” Drizzle said. She joined them on the bench. “At first I thought you were so formal. Fluff and I thought you didn’t want to be friends with us. You sat with the princess and then the queen . . . and you sounded so proper.”

  “Proper?” Melli asked. “Did you see when I almost spilled my soup over the fairy serving the meal at my first dinner here? And how I barely spoke at all during meals because I was so nervous?”

  “You didn’t look nervous,” Fluff said. “You looked just like one of the royals!”

  “Yesterday I wanted to sit with you at lunch,” Melli said, “but there were no more seats near you. Fluff sat down next to you before I had a chance.”

  “Oh,” Drizzle said. “I just thought you didn’t want to sit next to me.”

  “I didn’t think that you wanted me to sit there,” Melli told her. “And now the queen has practically ordered you to have me ride in the parade with you two.” She wiped her eyes and sniffled.

  “Well, that is the problem,” Drizzle said. She looked over at Fluff.

  Melli’s mouth fell open. So these fairies really didn’t want to be friends with her! Melli stood up. How sour could these Ice Cream Fairies be?

  “No, that is not what I meant!” Drizzle said quickly. “It’s not that it’s a problem if you ride with us. It’s just—”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Melli said, cutting her off. She didn’t want to hear any excuses. And she definitely didn’t want to ride on a float with fairies who didn’t want to be her friends. She fluttered her wings, ready to fly back to the palace.

  “The truth is, we haven’t finished our float for the parade!” Fluff blurted out. “We haven’t even put it in the water! It’s our first year building a float. And if we don’t get it right, it might be our last.”

  “And the parade is tomorrow!” Drizzle added. “And now Queen Swirl is definitely going t
o notice since she is expecting to see you on our float!”

  Melli thought back on her time in Ice Cream Isles. She wondered how differently Drizzle and Fluff had experienced the same events that she had. . . . Had she seemed snobby? And superproper? She was just so nervous and shy.

  “Come, we’ll show you our float,” Drizzle said. She took Melli’s hand, and the three fairies flew to Sweet Cream Harbor.

  There were a few mints lighting up the work area. Melli bent down to examine the float.

  “The sauce is too heavy,” Melli said. “This will never float. You could sprinkle some caramel flakes or use just a splash of caramel. That should take some of the weight off the float.”

  “Would you help us finish?” Drizzle asked.

  Before Melli could answer, Fluff started to speak. “We’re really sorry,” she said. “Maybe we can start over. Drizzle and I had the wrong idea about you. I think that we’d make a good team.”

  Melli thought that Fluff was a lot like Dash. She was too quick to speak at times—and could be a little minty. Melli took a deep breath and looked at the two fairies standing in front of her. Maybe she had been wrong about them, too. Now Drizzle and Fluff didn’t seem so sour. They were just having a big problem and didn’t know how to solve it.

  Melli rolled up her sleeves. “We don’t have all that much time,” she said. “There are already a few floats in the harbor. Maybe if we work quickly, we can be ready for tomorrow.”

  “Melli, you are the sweetest,” Drizzle gushed. “I’m sorry if your time here has been sticky.”

  “I’m glad that the three of us will be working together,” Fluff said. “We just need a plan.”

  “This is what my friends and I do in Sugar Valley,” Melli explained. “If we work together, we’ll be able to get this done . . . and maybe even win a float prize.”

  “Well, that would be the cherry on the ice cream float!” Fluff exclaimed.

  “You know,” Melli said, thinking out loud, “I have a great idea to make the float extraspecial.”

  “How?” Drizzle asked.

  “Come with me. Quickly!” she said. She waved for Drizzle and Fluff to follow her and they took off into the darkening sky.

  Sweetness Afloat

  Melli led the way toward Sweet Cream Harbor. There was a soft purple swirl on the dark horizon. She looked back over her shoulder. Drizzle and Fluff were keeping up with her speed, but they looked confused.

  “Almost there!” Melli called.

  “Where are we going?” Drizzle asked.

  Fluff flew closer to Melli. “Are we going to Sweet Cream Harbor?”

  “You’ll see,” Melli replied. She dipped down to the right and headed for the water.

  The moon was half full, giving just enough light to see. The three fairies flew lower, toward the rocky beach.

  “Let’s go to the edge of the water,” Melli called. She swooped down to the beach and the lapping waves. Now that the tide had gone out, the beach was wide. Melli landed on a soft patch of purple sand. “I watched Sun Dip from here today,” she told the Ice Cream Fairies. “It was sugar-tastic. The colors were delicious.”

  “Who are we meeting here?” Drizzle asked. “Or waiting for?”

  “No one is here,” Fluff said, spinning around.

  “I have to call her,” Melli replied. She flew out over the water. Even though the light was dim, Melli searched the waters. “Dips!” she called. “Dips, come to the shore by the rocks!” she shouted.

  “Who is Dips?” Fluff asked when Melli returned. “Another Candy Fairy?”

  Melli laughed. “No, not a Candy Fairy, but a very sweet friend. Come, let’s go wait over here.” She flew to the rocks and sat down. “She’ll be here soon.”

  Drizzle and Fluff shared a worried look as they sat down next to Melli. Melli just smiled as she looked out into the harbor. She knew her friend would come. And she hoped that when she did, Dips would agree to her plan.

  “It is so pretty here,” Melli said.

  “Sweet Cream Harbor has a lot of ice cream history,” Drizzle told her. “This is the site of the big swirl.” She stood up and pointed to a very large ice cream swirl off in the distance. “Do you see Swirl Island?”

  Melli thought about how Raina had read about Swirl Island in the Fairy Code Book. She wished her friends were with her now to see the beautiful swirled island.

  “There’s a large statue of Queen Swirl’s great-grandfather, Sir Swirl, on the island,” Drizzle went on. “The ice cream festival is held there to honor him every year. No trip to Ice Cream Isles is complete without a stop at Swirl Island.”

  Fluff licked her lips. “And Swirl Island still has the best ice cream flavors,” she said.

  “If only we could get our float moving,” Drizzle said. “Then you could be part of the big float parade.”

  Fluff and Drizzle sighed.

  “The float will move,” Melli said. “I can almost promise you that!”

  Just then there was a splash to the left of the rock where they were sitting.

  Dips had come!

  The little white seal peeked her head out of the water.

  Melli leaned over the rock to greet her furry pal. “Dips, these are my friends Drizzle and Fluff,” she said. “We’ve come because we need your help.”

  “How do you know a Sweet Cream Harbor seal?” Drizzle asked, amazed.

  “Wow,” Fluff said. Her eyes gleamed as she looked over at the seal. “I’ve never seen a seal so close up before!”

  Melli reached out to Dips. “Oh, we’re old friends,” she said. “This afternoon I helped Dips out of a sticky situation.”

  Dips jumped out of the water and hit Melli’s hand gently with her flipper.

  “What would you think if we had this sweet seal pull the float?” Melli asked. “I bet no one else has ever thought of that. It would be spectacular, right?”

  “A real frozen treat!” Drizzle exclaimed. “Sweetness afloat!”

  “We’ll be the hit of the float parade,” Fluff added. “You’re brilliant, Melli!” She looked down at Dips. “But will Dips be able to pull the float? Would she want to?”

  “What do you say, Dips?” Melli asked, grinning. “Will you be part of our team?”

  Drizzle, Fluff, and Melli held hands as Dips dove underwater. They weren’t sure what the seal was doing.

  But then Dips leaped up, triumphant. She slapped the water with a hind flipper, playfully splashing the fairies.

  “I think that is an enthusiastic yes,” Melli said, wiping the spray of water off her face.

  “Triple scoop!” Fluff said.

  “Now that Dips has agreed,” Melli said, “we need to finish the float so that she can pull it.”

  “We’ll meet you back here first thing tomorrow morning,” Drizzle told Dips. “We will have to prepare a light sauce and maybe a sprinkle of colored sugar.”

  “Sounds perfect,” Melli said.

  Before they left, a tiny sugar fly flew to Melli’s shoulder. The fly’s wings tickled her face.

  “Someone is trying to get your attention,” Fluff said, giggling.

  Melli opened the note. Her eyes widened. “This is from Princess Lolli!” she cried. “Oh hot caramel, we missed dinner! I hope she isn’t angry.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Princess Lolli, to get angry about that,” Drizzle said.

  Melli held up the note. “No,” she said. She continued reading. “Wait, she says it is urgent that we come to the palace.”

  “What’s wrong?” Drizzle asked. “Did she say why?” She leaned over to look at the sugar fly note.

  Melli shook her head. “She doesn’t say. The note only asks us to return to the palace immediately. If Princess Lolli says to come, we had better hurry!”

  Dips slapped her hind flippers down on the water as the three fairies raced back to the palace.

  What could be wrong at the palace? Melli hoped that Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop were all right. She flapped her win
gs even faster.

  Just when things were going well, she thought.

  Messy Milk

  When the Ice Cream Palace came into view, Melli saw Prince Scoop waiting outside the large front gates. She was shocked to see who was with him. She squinted her eyes to make sure she was seeing correctly. She dipped down and flew faster.

  Prince Scoop was talking to Melli’s Candy Fairy friends!

  “Hot caramel!” Melli shouted as she landed.

  There was a burst of screams, followed by lots of hugs and laughter.

  “What are you doing here?” Melli asked. She gave Cocoa a tight squeeze. “When did you get here?”

  “Isn’t this choc-o-rific?!” Cocoa exclaimed. “We just arrived!”

  Berry and Raina took Melli’s hands. “We’re so happy to see you!” they said at the same time.

  “And sooooo happy to be here in Ice Cream Isles!” Dash added.

  Melli laughed. She couldn’t believe her friends were actually standing in front of her at the Ice Cream Palace!

  “I knew this was going to be a sweet surprise,” Princess Lolli said. “I wanted all you Candy Fairies to experience the Summer Spectacular and the ice cream float parade. Butterscotch flew them in for the celebration tomorrow.”

  “And for Melli’s sugar-tastic caramel sauce!” Dash added.

  There was so much chattering and shrieking that Prince Scoop clapped his hands for quiet. “Come,” he said. “Let’s go inside for a snack. I am sure our travelers are hungry.” He led the group of fairies toward the palace doors.

  “I’m so sorry that Drizzle, Fluff, and I missed dinner tonight,” Melli said.

  “Were you working on a float?” Princess Lolli asked.

  “I remember some late nights when I was making my first float,” Prince Scoop said.