Ribbons of blue and silver fairy dust began to curl around it. In a sparkle of magic, the cake was transformed into Jack Frost’s face, covered with silver-blue icing and topped with large candles. Belle had even written HAPPY BIRTHDAY in silver balls on the side. “I’ll carry it!” shouted the smallest goblin, taking off his apron and lunging for the cake.
“No, I’ll carry it—you’re too clumsy!” yelled the middle goblin, picking up the cake and balancing it above his head.
He raced to the door, closely followed by the other two goblins, who were still complaining loudly.
“They didn’t even say thank you!” said Kirsty, shaking her head at their rudeness.
“Never mind that,” Belle replied, grinning. “I’ve got the magic birthday candle back!”
“And the baker will be able to make Mom’s cake now,” added Rachel with a happy smile.
“That poor baker!” Kirsty gasped, staring around at the mess the goblins had made.
“Don’t worry!” said Belle, giving them a wink.
She flicked her wand, and the whole room shimmered. When the sparkles faded, the kitchen was gleaming and tidy, and a magnificent cake was sitting on the counter. It was decorated with pink icing and a border of pink hearts.
“Perfect!” Rachel cried.
Then, with a wave of her wand, Belle returned Rachel and Kirsty to their human size.
“I’m taking the magic birthday candle home to Fairyland right away, but I’ll see you again soon,” she said. “Birthday cakes and wishes are safe—thanks to you two!”
She blew a kiss and disappeared in a flurry of fairy dust. Rachel and Kirsty smiled at each other.
“Now there’s only one birthday charm missing,” said Rachel. “I just hope that we can find it before Mom’s party!”
“I know we can,” said Kirsty, sounding confident. “After all, if we can convince those crazy goblins to help us twice, we can do anything!”
“SURPRISE!” everyone shouted.
“Oh my goodness!” exclaimed Mrs. Walker.
Balloons flew into the air, and party poppers cracked all around the village hall, raining colored streamers over the astonished Mrs. Walker. Rachel and Kirsty each took one of her hands and led her into the center of the hall.
“What a wonderful surprise!” Mrs. Walker gasped. “How did you pull this off?”
“I couldn’t have done it without these two!” Mr. Walker laughed, putting his arms around Rachel and Kirsty. The guests crowded around Mrs. Walker, hugging her and wishing her a happy birthday. Rachel and Kirsty smiled at each other. They had spent hours decorating the hall and putting out the food. All the guests had arrived, and then Mrs. Walker had finally walked in. She hadn’t suspected a thing!
“Everything’s going really well,” Kirsty said in a low voice. “I was afraid that Jack Frost would ruin the party because he still has the magic birthday present.”
“That reminds me—it’s almost time to give Mom her special gift!” said Rachel in excitement. “Dad and I bought her a beautiful jewelry box. I can’t wait to see her face when she opens it!”
“Hi, Rachel!” called two girls from across the room. “Congratulations—what a great party!”
“Hi, Rosie! Hi, Natalia!” Rachel replied. “I’m glad you’re having fun!”
“The cake looks beautiful!” added a girl named Emma, whose dad had gone to school with Mrs. Walker.
“I know—I can’t wait to taste it!” Kirsty said with a grin.
But before it was time for cake, Rachel and Kirsty helped Mr. Walker carry their large present to Mrs. Walker. Mr. Walker made a little speech, and then everyone sang “Happy Birthday.”
“How exciting!” exclaimed Mrs. Walker.
She untied the big purple ribbon and carefully tore the wrapping paper. Rachel hopped from one foot to another. A bubble of excitement rose up inside her as Mrs. Walker opened the box….
“Oh,” said Mrs. Walker.
“Oh, no!” groaned Rachel and Kirsty together.
There was no beautiful jewelry box inside—just a pair of muddy old boots!
Mr. Walker stared at the boots. He seemed to be at a loss for words. “Well …” said Mrs. Walker, blinking quickly, “these will be very useful for working in the garden. Thank you!”
But Rachel could see that her mom was upset. Frowning, she tugged on Kirsty’s arm and led her away from the other guests.
“It’s not fair!” she whispered. “I know that Mom will enjoy her party no matter what presents she gets, but she would have loved that jewelry box!”
Kirsty nodded. “It must be—”
“Are you OK, Rachel?” called her friend Antonia, who had noticed Rachel’s worried expression.
“I’m fine, thanks,” said Rachel, giving her a smile.
She hurried toward the door and beckoned to Kirsty to follow her. She led the way outside and around to the back of the hall, where weeds and tall bushes hid them from view.
“Ouch!” said Kirsty, as she brushed her hand against a thistle. “Rachel, where are we going?”
Rachel turned with her hand on the magic locket around her neck. The king and queen of Fairyland had given each of the girls a locket.
They were full of magic fairy dust, which Rachel and Kirsty could use to take them to Fairyland if they ever needed help from the fairies.
“We have to help Belle find the magic birthday present—before anything else goes wrong at Mom’s party!” Rachel said. “Kirsty, we’re off to Fairyland!”
The girls opened their lockets and sprinkled the fairy dust over their heads. Immediately they were caught up in a swirling cloud of sparkles. The glittering whirl swept them off their feet and carried them through the air.
Rachel and Kirsty felt themselves shrinking to fairy size. Then the sparkles faded away, and the girls were standing outside the glittering silver and pink Fairyland Palace. The large doors were wide open, and the girls could see that the entrance hall was bustling with activity. There were tables full of food, dozens of frog footmen carrying boxes and packages, and dozens of fairies flitting around.
“Oh, Rachel, look!” Kirsty exclaimed in delight. “There’s Joy the Summer Vacation Fairy! And the Rainbow Fairies are over there!”
Just then, they saw Belle hovering in a corner. Rachel and Kirsty waved at her, and she flew quickly over to them. “Hello, girls!” she said. “I didn’t expect to see you here today.” Rachel explained what had happened at her mom’s party. “What a mess!” exclaimed Belle. “Jack Frost has caused so many problems by stealing the magic birthday present. He’s even ruined his own surprise party!”
“What do you mean?” Kirsty asked.
“When the king and queen heard that the goblins were planning a surprise birthday party for Jack Frost at the Ice Castle, they offered to help,” Belle explained. “But there’s a big problem. Follow me!”
She flitted through the palace toward the throne room. The girls followed her, waving to all their fairy friends as they went. The king and queen were sitting on their thrones in the chamber. Rachel and Kirsty landed before them and curtsied.
“Welcome, girls!” said Queen Titania. “It’s wonderful to see you!”
“It’s so nice to be here again, Your Majesty,” said Rachel breathlessly. “We came because something went wrong at my mom’s surprise birthday party. I’m sure it’s because Jack Frost still has the magic birthday present.”
“I agree,” said the queen. “He’s very vain, and he didn’t want anyone to know that today is his birthday! But we can’t prepare anything to take to his birthday party until the final charm is safely back here. That means that the goblins are up at the Ice Castle doing all the work themselves.” “Things keep going wrong with the preparations,” added King Oberon. “The food is burned and the decorations have gone missing.” He sighed. “We have to try to get the birthday present back, but all the fairies are busy looking for the decorations and trying to fix the food. My magic has shown me
that the birthday present is hidden in Jack Frost’s Ice Castle, but I can’t see exactly where.”
“We can go!” Rachel cried at once. “We could get inside the Ice Castle and hunt for the birthday present.”
“Are you sure, girls?” asked the queen. “It could be dangerous!”
The girls looked at each other. The Ice Castle was a cold and scary place, but they had been there before and knew what to expect.
“We can’t give up now,” said Rachel.
“We want to do everything we can to help,” Kirsty insisted.
“Very well,” said the queen with a grateful smile.
“May I go with them, Your Majesties?” asked Belle.
“Certainly,” said King Oberon. “But remember, the goblins can’t be trusted. Look after each other!”
“We will!” said Belle, Rachel and Kirsty together.
If they could find the magic birthday present, Mrs. Walker’s birthday would be a happy one and Jack Frost would get his surprise party. But goblins always guarded the towers, doors, and windows of the Ice Castle. If the girls and Belle were caught, they would be in big trouble!
Rachel, Belle, and Kirsty gazed up at Jack Frost’s home. The castle was built from sheets of ice, and it gleamed menacingly. The sky was thick with dark, heavy snow clouds. Goblins marched on duty around the castle’s pointed towers.
“How are we going to get in?” asked Rachel.
“Look!” cried Kirsty. A goblin was zooming along the road toward them on a motorcycle, pulling a large trailer. He was wearing big driving goggles and a white silk scarf. The girls darted behind a tree.
“What’s in the trailer?” Rachel wondered aloud.
“I think it’s party decorations!” said Kirsty.
A gray paper streamer had come loose and was dragging on the road. Just then, the goblin looked back and noticed it. He stopped the motorcycle and jumped off to pack the streamer away.
“That’s our way in!” Kirsty declared in an excited whisper.
Belle, Rachel, and Kirsty flitted over to the trailer and tucked themselves under the tarp that covered it just as the goblin started up the motorcycle again.
They couldn’t see anything, but they could hear the wheels of the trailer rumbling over the icy, uneven road. Then the engine was shut off and the trailer was dragged over bumpy cobblestones.
“Where are we having the party?” asked a goblin voice.
“In the Great Hall,” came the reply. “Those pesky fairies haven’t showed up to help, so we have to do it all ourselves! Jack Frost’s presents are already in there. We’ll decorate when he isn’t looking.”
The girls heard the goblins walk away. When their grumbles had faded into the distance, Kirsty carefully lifted the tarp.
“All clear!” she said.
They fluttered out of the trailer and looked around. They were in the castle courtyard, which had several dark hallways leading out of it. “Let’s go!” whispered Rachel. “The goblins could come back any minute!”
The three friends flew into one of the hallways. It was narrow, cold, and gloomy. At last, they reached a pair of tall double doors with the words GREAT HALL carved above them.
Suddenly, the door handles started to turn. The girls looked around in panic. There was nowhere to hide!
“Up!” Belle whispered urgently.
They all flew up to the ceiling and hovered there, pressing their backs against the cold roof. The doors burst open and Jack Frost stormed out. He looked up and down the hall.
“There’s no one around for me to yell at!” he snarled. “Where are those goblins?”
His long, thin fingers stroked his icy chin.
“I really hate birthdays,” he muttered to himself. “So I’m going to make everyone suffer!”
He strode off, his cloak flowing behind him. As soon as he disappeared around the corner, the girls let out huge sighs of relief. They darted into the hall and closed the doors softly behind them. Jack Frost’s throne stood in the center, and long tables covered with gray tablecloths lined the room.
The three friends lifted the tablecloths and peered behind curtains, but all they found were cobwebs and a few bugs. No magic birthday present!
“There’s one more place we haven’t looked,” said Rachel.
Jack Frost’s throne stood on a raised platform. The girls searched along the sides of the throne and under the cushion. Then Rachel crouched down behind the throne. There was a hollow space inside the platform, and the three friends gasped when they saw what was inside. “Presents!” said Kirsty in a breathless voice. “These must be the goblins’ gifts for Jack Frost!” The girls pulled them out one by one.
“There’s something else at the back,” said Belle, peering into the darkness.
Rachel reached in, stretching her arm as far as it would go. At last she pulled out a little box, wrapped in shiny pink paper and decorated with balloons.
“It’s much sparklier than the others, and it feels as light as a feather!” said Rachel, wondering what this present could be.
Belle’s eyes were bright and shining with excitement.
“That’s because it’s my magic birthday present!” she said. “We’ve found it!”
Suddenly, the double doors flung open and the girls heard a bunch of chattering voices. Kirsty peeked around the side of the throne.
“It’s the goblins!” she exclaimed.
“They’re here to decorate the hall for the surprise party. Belle, can you use your magic to send us back to the palace?”
Belle waved her wand … but nothing happened!
“Jack Frost must have put a spell on this room,” she said in a worried whisper. “It means that I can’t do magic until I get outside.”
“We’re trapped!” Rachel exclaimed.
“If we can’t return the magic birthday present to the palace, the preparations for Jack Frost’s party won’t work,” cried Belle.
“And it’s only a matter of time before the goblins spot us here,” added Kirsty.
She looked at her best friend in panic, but Rachel was gazing up at the tall, pointed windows of the Great Hall. One of them was open slightly, but there were three goblins standing right underneath it.
“We can’t fly out of there,” said Belle. “The goblins would be close enough to grab us.”
Rachel raised an eyebrow. “Not if they’re distracted,” she said with a little smile.
“That’s it!” Kirsty exclaimed. She turned to Belle. “Rachel and I will create a distraction on the other side of the hall. While the goblins are looking at us, you can fly out of the window!”
Belle looked worried.
“I don’t want to leave you here,” she said. “It could be dangerous. What if the goblins catch you? What if Jack Frost finds you?”
“The king and queen are coming here for the surprise party,” said Rachel. “We can face anything, knowing that our friends are on their way!”
Belle hugged them both.
“I think you’re both really brave,” she said. “Thank you! I’ll be as fast as I can!”
Rachel and Kirsty each took a deep breath. Then they held hands and flew out from behind the throne, heading toward the far end of the hall.
“Hey, goblins, over here!” shouted Kirsty.
The goblins let out howls of anger.
“It’s a pair of pesky fairies!”
“Get them!
“Catch them!”
“Stop them!”
The goblins all rushed to join in the chase, and a sea of bony green fingers snatched the air near Rachel and Kirsty. Not a single goblin noticed Belle slip quietly out of the window. But Rachel and Kirsty saw her go, and they smiled at each other. Now they just had to keep out of the goblins’ way until help arrived!
The two friends flitted around the hall, dodging back and forth to keep out of the goblins’ clutches. One goblin jumped onto another’s shoulders and tried to grab Rachel, but she did a somersault in midair. The go
blin lost his balance and crashed to the floor with a yell.
Another goblin bounced up and down on the throne cushion, and then launched himself through the air at Kirsty. She flew to one side at the last minute. The goblin hit the dangling chandelier and hung there, yelling for help. It was chaos!
“Just keep them busy!” Kirsty panted, flying higher to escape an especially tall goblin.
“My wings feel so tired.” Rachel gasped. “I’m not sure how much longer I can—”
“WHAT IS GOING ON?” roared a furious voice.
The girls screamed, and all the goblins froze on the spot. Jack Frost was standing in the doorway!
“Fairies!” Jack Frost hissed. “I know why you’re here! You’ll never find the magic birthday present.”
“You’re too late!” said Kirsty.
“Never!” he snarled. “I hid it far too well for you to find it!”
He lunged toward the throne.
“He’ll find his presents!” squealed a goblin. “Stop him!”
Every single goblin hurled himself at Jack Frost, who disappeared in a pile of green arms and legs.
“Get off me!” his muffled voice yelled. “I’ll banish you all, you foolish goblins!”
“That would be a terrible mistake,” said the gentle voice of Queen Titania just then. “They’re only trying to give you a happy birthday.”
The fairies had arrived!
Belle the Birthday Fairy Page 3