“Jack Frost’s freezing icy bolts will give those fairies a nasty shock!” he roared loudly.
Nothing happened.
“That’s a terrible spell!” one of the other goblins yelled. “Don’t you remember? It doesn’t work if it doesn’t rhyme!”
The goblin with the wand looked furious. “Jack Frost’s freezing icy bolts will give those fairies nasty jolts!” he shouted triumphantly. “That rhymes!”
This time, the spell worked. Three sparkling ice bolts shot out from the wand and headed straight toward the three fairies.
“Look out!” yelled Charlotte, turning a somersault in the air as an ice bolt whizzed underneath her.
Kirsty managed to dodge the second ice bolt, but Rachel wasn’t so lucky.
The third bolt hit her. It instantly surrounded her in a sheet of ice. Rachel hovered in the air for a second, her face frozen in an expression of surprise.
But then she began to tumble toward the ground, her wings frozen solid.
“Oh no!” Kirsty cried anxiously. “She can’t fly!” The goblins cackled with glee and headed out of the garden. But Kirsty flew toward her friend as she realized the awful truth. She yelled to Charlotte, “If Rachel falls to the ground, she’ll shatter into icy pieces!”
With a flick of her wrist, Charlotte cast a fairy spell. Glittering sparkles rained from her wand onto the tall sunflower, surrounding it with magic.
As Rachel plummeted downward, the sunflower bent its golden head. It caught Rachel in its velvety brown center just as she was about to hit the ground.
Kirsty and Charlotte zoomed over to make sure Rachel wasn’t hurt. She was sitting in the middle of the sunflower on a cushion of seeds, and she had the same surprised look on her face.
“She’s still frozen,” Kirsty said anxiously, feeling Rachel’s arm. “It’s like touching an icicle!”
“The goblins’ spells aren’t as powerful as Jack Frost’s magic,” explained Charlotte. “The spell should wear off soon.”
Kirsty took off her cardigan and wrapped it around her friend. Then she and Charlotte watched as, very gradually, Rachel began to warm up. After a few minutes she was able to move her face, then her arms, then her legs. Soon, she was fluttering her wings and looking much happier.
“Oh, I feel better now,” Rachel declared, still shivering a little. “I’m so glad I’m not a fairy popsicle anymore! Now, where have those goblins gone with the magic petal?”
“They went further along the trail,” said Kirsty, “but they couldn’t have gotten very far.”
As soon as Charlotte’s magic had whisked the girls back to their normal size, Rachel grabbed the map and they all hurried off along the Sunflower Trail, searching for the goblins.
“The next stop on the trail is Leafley School,” Rachel said, studying the map. “Here we are.”
The girls paused outside the school to look around.
“Look at the beautiful display,” said Kirsty, pointing at a huge 3-D collage that filled an entire wall of the building. The collage was made of yellow papier-mâché sunflowers and bright green cardboard leaves. The paper petals had been sprinkled with golden glitter, which made them sparkle in the sun as if they were full of fairy magic.
Rachel and Charlotte gazed at the collage in delight.
“The school’s closed for spring break,” said Rachel, checking to make sure that the gates were locked. “So the goblins can’t be hiding in there.”
They went farther along the trail, but there was still no sign of the goblins.
“We’re coming up to Sunflower Field on our left,” Rachel said, studying the map carefully.
“Oh, yes.” Charlotte sighed. “Sunflower Field is beautiful when the sunflowers are blooming, but I don’t suppose any of them will be since my petal is still missing.” As the girls turned the corner of the trail, Kirsty saw a large field packed with tall, nodding sunflowers. She was expecting them all to be wilting like the others they’d seen. But to her surprise, right in the center of the field was a large circle of sunflowers in full bloom, turning their golden heads cheerfully toward the sun.
“Aren’t they gorgeous?” Kirsty gasped. “They’re the most beautiful sunflowers we’ve seen all day!” Then she frowned, because the sunflowers that had looked so beautiful just a moment before were now beginning to droop in front of her very eyes!
“Ooh, look over there by the fence!” Rachel exclaimed. “There’s a big patch of them, all in bloom — Oh!”
Now Rachel could hardly believe her eyes. The sunflowers she’d been staring at looked as if they were dying, too!
“Over there, girls!” Charlotte cried, pointing her wand at the far end of the field. “Those sunflowers are beautiful.”
“No, they’re wilting now too,” Rachel replied as the sunflowers Charlotte was looking at began to droop.
Charlotte looked confused. Then she twirled excitedly up into the air. “Girls, the goblins are here with the magic petal!” she announced. “They must be hiding in the field, and my petal is making the sunflowers bloom wherever they run!”
“There go the goblins!” Rachel called, pointing at another clump of blossoming sunflowers.
Kirsty burst out laughing. “The silly goblins are running around in circles!” she pointed out.
Charlotte, Rachel, and Kirsty stood and watched for a few minutes as the goblins circled and zigzagged their way across the field of sunflowers. They didn’t seem to have any idea where they were going.
“They could be stuck in there for hours!” Charlotte said. “How are we going to get my petal back?”
Rachel turned to Kirsty and Charlotte, beaming. “I think I have an idea!” she declared.
Rachel gave the map to Kirsty and turned to the tiny fairy. “Charlotte, could you use your magic to make two glittery paper petals, just like the ones on the Leafley School collage?” she asked.
Charlotte laughed. “Of course I can!” she exclaimed. “Watch!”
She twirled her wand and a shower of magic fairy dust fell softly over Rachel. A second later, two large sunflower petals instantly appeared in one of Rachel’s hands.
“Oh, they’re beautiful!” Rachel breathed, holding them up to show Kirsty. The petals sparkled and gleamed in the sunshine, catching the light as Rachel turned them this way and that.
The goblins were still rushing around the field, clearly trying to find their way out. They made the sunflowers bloom and wilt everywhere they went. Charlotte and the girls could hear rustling noises as the goblins pushed their way through the flower stems.
“Here goes,” Rachel whispered. “Hello, goblins!” she called loudly, putting her hands behind her back. “I’ve got a deal for you!”
No goblins appeared, but the rustling noise suddenly stopped.
“They’re listening,” Kirsty whispered.
“I’ve got two petals,” Rachel went on, keeping the petals out of sight. “And I want to swap them for your one petal!”
At that moment, a green face poked out from between the sunflower stems near the fence. A goblin was scowling at the girls.
“We’re not giving you our magic petal!” he snapped. “We won’t give it to anyone except Jack Frost. So there!” He stuck his tongue out at Charlotte and the girls, and then he disappeared back into the field.
“Don’t you even want to see my petals?” asked Rachel.
A different goblin poked his head out suspiciously. “Let me see!” he demanded.
Rachel held up the two petals Charlotte had given her. They looked dazzling in the midday sun.
“Oooh!” the goblin gasped, his eyes lighting up with greed.
“They’re much bigger than your petal, aren’t they?” Rachel pointed out.
“And more sparkly!” Kirsty added.
“Hey, you!” roared the first goblin, sticking his head out again and glaring at the other one. “Don’t talk to them!”
“But their petals are more sparkly,” the second goblin said. “That must
mean they’re more magical!”
The first goblin stared hard at the petals in Rachel’s hands. “Wait there!” he snapped at Rachel.
The two goblins disappeared again, and Charlotte and the girls could hear lots of whispering among the sunflowers. Rachel tried to look calm and cool, but her heart was racing. Would the goblins accept the deal?
At last the first goblin poked his head out. “We’ll trade,” he announced. “But only one of you can come forward with the petals. And one of us will bring our petal to you.”
Rachel nodded. Immediately, one cautious-looking goblin pushed his way out of the sunflowers and came toward her. He had Charlotte’s magic petal gripped tightly in his knobby green hand.
Rachel went to meet him.
“Give me one of your petals first!” the goblin demanded rudely.
Rachel held out one sparkly petal, and the goblin quickly snatched it.
Kirsty held her breath as the goblin then held out his own petal toward Rachel. The instant Rachel took it, he grabbed the other paper petal from her and danced gleefully back to his friends.
“I’ve got the two sparkly petals!” he boasted triumphantly.
There was a muffled cheer from inside the field and then Charlotte and the girls heard the sound of the goblins running off.
“The silly goblins have swapped the magic petal for two petals that aren’t magic at all!” Kirsty giggled.
“Yes.” Charlotte laughed, whizzing over to Rachel. “I’d better take my magic petal straight back to Fairyland before the goblins realize their mistake!”
Charlotte flew down and gently tapped the petal sitting on Rachel’s palm with her wand. It immediately shrank down to its Fairyland size.
“Thank you a thousand times, girls,” Charlotte cried, picking up the tiny petal and holding it lovingly. “Enjoy the rest of your visit to Leafley, and good luck finding the other missing petals!”
“Good-bye, Charlotte,” Kirsty and Rachel called as the little fairy vanished in a burst of golden magic.
“We did it, Kirsty!” Rachel beamed at her friend. “We found another magic petal!”
Kirsty glanced at her watch. “And we still have some time before we meet our parents,” she pointed out. “Should we keep following the Sunflower Trail?”
Rachel took out the map and unfolded it.
“That’s funny.” She frowned. “I don’t remember seeing that before!”
Kirsty looked too and saw a small, sparkling sunflower on the map. It seemed to be marking the place on the path right next to where the girls were standing.
“Is it fairy magic?” Kirsty asked, looking thrilled.
“I think Charlotte’s sunflower magic must be starting to work, now that she has her petal back,” Rachel said with a grin. “Look!” She pointed at the field. All the sunflowers were now standing tall and proud, turning their faces to the sun. Their golden petals were beginning to open.
“Rachel, look at the map!” gasped Kirsty.
The small sparkling sunflower on the map had begun to grow a long green stem. It curled and twisted across the paper, following the path of the Sunflower Trail. As Kirsty and Rachel hurried along the trail, following the stem, they noticed that sunflowers were bursting into bloom all around them. It was a delightful sight.
“All the gardens look beautiful!” Rachel said happily. “And even the sunflower decorations look like they’ve just been freshly painted!”
“I think every sunflower in Leafley is in bloom.” Kirsty laughed.
As the girls reached the Visitors’ Center, they saw a group of men and women coming out, carrying clipboards and maps of the Sunflower Trail.
“Do you think they’re the judges for the Most Colorful Village award?” Rachel whispered to Kirsty.
Kirsty nodded. “It looks like Charlotte’s sunflower magic has come to the rescue just in time!” she whispered back.
As the girls went inside the Visitors’ Center, they couldn’t help overhearing two of the judges talking.
“I know we’ve seen some beautiful towns and villages while we’ve been judging this competition,” said one of the women. “But those gardens on Sunny Cottage Road over there look absolutely spectacular! The sunflowers are beautiful.”
“I know,” the other judge replied. “I can’t wait to see the sunflowers around the rest of the trail.” She lowered her voice. “Between you and me, I think we may be looking at our winning village!”
Kirsty and Rachel looked at each other, grinning.
“Isn’t petal magic amazing?” Rachel whispered. Kirsty nodded happily.
Out and About
Goblins in the Garden
Rainbows, Rainbows, Everywhere!
Ice Falls
Flower Trail
Purple Perfection
“Welcome to Rainbow Falls Gardens,” said the man behind the desk. He picked up a garden map and counted out six tickets. Then he passed them all over the counter. “I hope you enjoy your day!”
Kirsty Tate smiled at her friend Rachel Walker as their parents thanked the man and picked up the tickets. The two families headed through the wrought-iron gates that stood at the entrance to the gardens. The Tates and the Walkers were spending spring vacation together, and so far they were having a magical time! Kirsty and Rachel hoped today would be just as exciting.
As they walked through the gates, the girls found themselves at the edge of a large grassy lawn, with a cluster of trees at the far end. The sun was warm on their faces, and they could hear birds singing.
“Let’s see,” Mr. Walker said, opening up the map. “Where should we go first?”
Rachel, Kirsty, and Mr. Walker looked at the map. There was an orchid garden, an arboretum, and of course, the famous Rainbow Falls.
“I want to see the waterfall first,” Rachel said eagerly.
“Ah,” said Mr. Walker. “I was just about to suggest the arboretum.”
“What’s an arboretum?” Kirsty asked.
“It’s an area with lots of beautiful trees and shrubs,” her dad told her, coming over to look at the map, too.
“Woof!” barked Buttons, the Walkers’ dog, pulling hard on his leash.
“I think Buttons wants to see the arboretum, too.” Mrs. Walker laughed.
“I think I’d like to see the falls,” Kirsty said. “Can we go there and meet you at the arboretum afterward?” she asked her parents.
“I don’t see why not,” Mr. Tate agreed.
“We’ll see you at the entrance to the arboretum in an hour,” Mrs. Tate told the girls. Then she frowned slightly as she glanced at the nearby flowerbeds. “I hope the trees in the arboretum are healthier than these flowers,” she said. “Look, half of them are drooping or dead!”
Rachel and Kirsty exchanged glances. They knew exactly why the flowers didn’t look as beautiful as they should. Unknown to their parents, the girls were secret friends with the fairies and often helped them when they were in trouble. This time, Rachel and Kirsty were helping the Petal Fairies find their missing magic petals. The petals made flowers bloom and grow beautifully in Fairyland and in the human world. So while the petals were missing, flowers all over the world were wilting and dying!
“I hope we find one of the petals today,” Kirsty whispered to Rachel. “These flowers really need some fairy magic!”
“Definitely,” Rachel agreed.
The fairies had shown the girls how Jack Frost had sent his goblins to steal all seven magic petals from Fairyland. He wanted the petals so he could make flowers grow in the freezing gardens around his Ice Castle. But when Jack Frost’s icy magic had collided with the Petal Fairies’ own spell to get their petals back, the seven petals were caught up in a huge magical explosion. It had sent the petals whirling into the human world.
Kirsty and Rachel had already helped the Petal Fairies find the tulip petal, the poppy petal, the lily petal, and the sunflower petal, but there were still three petals left to find. And the girls knew that Jack Frost’s
goblins were looking for them, too.
“Okay then, we’ll see you later, girls,” Rachel’s mom said with a smile. “Have fun!”
The four adults set off toward the arboretum, with Buttons racing excitedly ahead of them. Meanwhile, Rachel and Kirsty headed down a different path toward Rainbow Falls.
Just as they were walking past a trail that led to the orchid garden, Kirsty heard a nasty chuckle. “Did you hear that?” she whispered to Rachel. “It sounded like a goblin.”
Rachel nodded. “Let’s take a look in the orchid garden,” she whispered.
The girls crept down the path to the orchid garden, looking carefully all around them. Goblins always meant trouble! And this time, Jack Frost had armed them with a wand of his own icy magic, which meant they were much more powerful than usual.
It was quiet in the small orchid garden, and the girls couldn’t see anyone else in there. It seemed there were only gorgeous, colorful orchids blossoming everywhere. Blooms of yellow, purple, pink, and orange filled every nook and cranny of the flowerbeds. Some orchids were even growing from tree stumps and logs!
“Wow,” Kirsty breathed. “They’re beautiful!”
Rachel was looking thoughtful. “Almost too beautiful,” she pointed out in a low voice. “The orchid petal has been stolen, so they should all be wilting.”
Kirsty nodded. “The orchid petal must be nearby,” she agreed. “It’s the only thing that could be making these orchids so bright and healthy.”
The girls knew that each of the seven magical petals helped a particular group of flowers to grow well. The magical orchid petal made orchids bloom all over the world, but it also made sure that purple and blue flowers were healthy and colorful, too.
The Petal Fairies Collection Page 6