“Oh, hello again!” said Red Riding Hood, frowning a little. “Weren’t you human beings a few minutes ago?”
“It’s magic,” Ruth explained.
“Oh, I see,” said Red Riding Hood. “That explains it.”
In the storybook world, no one was surprised by magic.
“We’ve come to ask for your help,” said Kirsty. “We want to get the wolf to go to the big oak tree in the middle of the wood. We think he might be able to help us get Ruth’s basket and your cloak back from the goblins.”
“Will you help us?” asked Ruth. “Please?”
“Of course,” said Red Riding Hood at once. “I’ll do anything I can to get my cloak back and stop those goblins!”
“Fantastic,” Ruth cried. She did a twirl in midair. “We haven’t a minute to lose!”
Red Riding Hood and the fairies quickly worked out a plan. Then Rachel, Kirsty, and Ruth fluttered up to hide in the treetops.
“Tra la la,” sang Red Riding Hood in a loud voice. “I can’t wait to see my grandmother! I’m sure she’ll love this big basket of goodies I’m taking to her.”
The leaves on the other side of the path rustled, and then a large gray wolf stepped out. He bared his teeth and licked them with a long, pink tongue.
“He looks very scary!” said Rachel with a shudder. “What big teeth he has!”
“Where does your grandmother live, little girl?” asked the wolf in a gruff voice.
Red Riding Hood pointed the way through the wood toward the big oak tree.
“Granny lives that way,” she said.
The wolf didn’t wait to listen to anything else. With one bound he was charging into the wood, speeding toward the clearing where the fairies had left Jack Frost.
“Quickly—don’t lose sight of him!” Rachel cried.
The three fairies flew above him, and Red Riding Hood ran along behind him as quickly as she could. The wolf was very fast.
“He’ll be at the oak tree soon,” said Ruth. “Let’s fly ahead!”
They zoomed toward the clearing and saw that Jack Frost and the goblin with the cloak had managed to get untangled. Jack Frost was once again relaxing in his hammock.
“Look, he still has the magical basket!” said Kirsty.
Jack Frost was twirling the glittering basket on the tip of his forefinger, chuckling. Beneath the swinging hammock, the three goblins were busy cheating at a card game.
“I showed them!” Jack Frost crowed. “I showed those silly fairies! They just flew away because they were so scared of me. Ha!”
HOWWWWL! The wolf leaped into the clearing. Jack Frost let out a high-pitched squeal and sprang out of his hammock. The magical basket fell down and rolled across the ground.
“The basket!” screeched the goblin with the cloak.
“Never mind that,” shouted Jack Frost. “RUN!”
The goblins darted after him, and in their panic the cloak dropped onto the ground. Ruth swooped down to seize her basket, and it shrank to fairy size as soon as she touched it.
“Let’s get the cloak!” said Rachel.
She and Kirsty fluttered down and picked up the cloak between them. The wolf howled again, just as Red Riding Hood arrived in the clearing, out of breath.
“Here’s your cloak,” said Kirsty, flying over to Red Riding Hood.
She and Rachel carefully draped the cloak around the girl’s shoulders. Then Red Riding Hood turned to the wolf.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I got confused about the direction to my grandmother’s house. It’s actually just down that path.”
She pointed down a narrow path through the wood, which the fairies hadn’t noticed before. Through the leaves, they could just see the chimney of a little cottage.
The wolf dashed off along the path, and Red Riding Hood followed, skipping slowly and swinging her basket.
“The story is back to normal,” said Ruth. “Now everything will start to happen just as it should.”
“I hope Red Riding Hood will be all right,” said Kirsty. “That wolf is pretty scary.”
“Don’t worry,” said Rachel, smiling at her. “Remember the story? Red Riding Hood and her grandmother manage to trick the wolf and escape. And we know that will happen, because the magical basket is back with its rightful owner.”
“Come on,” Ruth said, fluttering over to join Rachel and Kirsty. “We have somewhere wonderful to go!”
Ruth waved her wand, and the storybook wood around them vanished. They were once again standing in the beautiful Fairyland Library. Rachel and Kirsty gazed around in wonder and delight at the high shelves filled with books and the arched glass ceiling. Standing in front of them were Elle the Thumbelina Fairy, Mariana the Goldilocks Fairy, and Rosalie the Rapunzel Fairy. Ruth rushed over to them, and they all hugged her.
She placed her magical basket carefully into the wooden box where it belonged, and closed the golden clasp. Then all four of the Storybook Fairies turned to Rachel and Kirsty.
“You two have been wonderful,” said Elle.
“All our magical objects are safe again, and we have you to thank,” added Mariana.
“We will never forget what you have done for us,” said Rosalie.
Ruth stepped forward and gave each girl a kiss on the cheek. She was about to speak, but before she could say a word there was a thunderclap and a bright, icy blue flash. The fairies were dazzled and had to shade their eyes. When they looked, they saw Jack Frost standing in the middle of the library. His frown was worse than ever.
“You’ve messed up everything!” he yelled. “All I wanted was to be the star of my very own story. I made those stories a million times better and you’ve ruined them!”
“You can still be the star of a story,” said Rachel.
“Not without the Storybook Fairies’ magical objects I can’t,” he snarled. “Give them to me!”
“You can be the star,” Rachel insisted. “You just have to make up the story yourself. Don’t ruin stories that already exist. Make up something new!”
“Everyone loves the fairy tales that the Storybook Fairies protect,” Kirsty added. “We can’t allow you to change them. But I bet you could make up a great story about your own adventures.”
She saw a notepad and a pencil lying on one of the library tables. Smiling, she picked them up and handed them to Jack Frost. He hesitated, and then took them as a grin spread across his face.
“My own adventures,” he muttered. “It’ll be an epic tale. I’ll be a brave hero, surrounded by green fools. Yes, I can see it now! The Adventures of Jack Frost!”
He sat down and began to write his own storybook world. With a smile, Ruth turned back to Rachel and Kirsty.
“To thank you for everything you’ve done for us, we have something very special to give each of you,” she said.
She handed each girl a small card. On one side, the cards glimmered with the changing colors of the rainbow. On the other, in golden letters, were the words:
Member of the Fairyland Library
“You will always be welcome here,” Ruth said to them. “You may borrow one book at a time, and although you will be able to read it, no one else in the human world will be able to see it.”
“Thank you!” said Rachel and Kirsty together, feeling awed.
Ruth raised her wand once more.
“Now it is time for us to say good-bye,” she said. “But I hope we will see you again soon—on your next library visit!”
She swished her wand, and the bright library vanished. It was replaced by twinkling stars and flickering flames. The girls were back at the Storybook Festival.
Rachel and Kirsty listened in delight as the other children finished telling the story of Red Riding Hood. This time, Red Riding Hood met a wolf in the wood, and there was no mention of goblins anywhere. The girls exchanged smiles of relief.
“Who wants to toast marshmallows?” called Alana. “I brought some in my basket.”
Soon, the children an
d Alana were enjoying the sweet, sticky warmth of toasted marshmallows.
“Now,” Alana said, licking her lips. “Would anyone like to try out what they have learned at the festival? I would love to hear any stories that you have imagined.”
Rachel’s hand shot into the air.
“Kirsty and I have a story to tell,” she said.
“What’s it about?” a little boy asked.
Rachel gave a mysterious smile.
“Magic,” she said.
Together, the best friends told a tale of brave fairies and naughty goblins. The other children gasped and laughed as they listened to the story. When Kirsty said the words “and they all lived happily ever after,” everyone cheered and clapped.
“That was a fabulous story,” said Alana. “I’m really impressed by your amazing imaginations!”
Rachel and Kirsty exchanged a secret smile. They knew that they hadn’t imagined the story!
“I wonder when we’ll have more magical adventures,” said Rachel.
“Very soon,” Kirsty said, feeling certain. “And I can’t wait for the next one to begin!”
“What an icy, gray December this is,” said Rachel Walker, blowing on her fingers and shivering. “I’m starting to wonder if it will ever be Christmas!”
It was Saturday morning, and Rachel was in her backyard with her best friend, Kirsty Tate. They had come out to play a game of ball, but sleet was coming down. Kirsty shivered, too, and buried her hands deep into her pockets.
“I’m really glad I’m staying with you for the weekend, but I wish the weather wasn’t so horrible,” Kirsty said.
“We had such awesome plans,” said Rachel. “But nature walks and boating on the lake won’t be much fun when it’s so miserable and freezing. It looks as if we’ll be spending most of the weekend inside.”
“Never mind,” said Kirsty, smiling at her friend. “We always have fun when we’re together, no matter what we’re doing.”
“You’re right,” said Rachel, trying to forget about the dark clouds above.
“Let’s go inside,” Kirsty said. “I think it’s starting to snow.”
“Oh, really?” said Rachel, feeling more cheerful. “Maybe we can go sledding.”
“I don’t think so,” said Kirsty. “I only see one snowflake.”
She pointed up to the single, perfect snowflake. It was spiraling down from the gray sky. The girls watched it land on the edge of a stone birdbath.
“That’s funny,” said Rachel after a moment. “It’s not melting.”
Kirsty took a step closer to the birdbath. “I think it’s getting bigger,” she said.
The snowflake began to grow bigger and bigger. Then it popped like a snowy balloon, and the girls saw a tiny fairy standing in its place. She was as exquisite as the snowflake had been. Her blond hair flowed around her shoulders, and she was wearing a long blue gown, decorated with sparkling silver sequins. A furry cape was wrapped around her shoulders, and a snowflake tiara twinkled on her head.
“Hello, Rachel and Kirsty,” said the fairy. “I’m Alicia the Snow Queen Fairy.”
“Hello, Alicia!” said Rachel. “It’s great to meet you!”
“What are you doing here in Tippington?” Kirsty asked.
“I’ve come to ask for your help,” said Alicia in a silvery voice.
Copyright © 2016 by Rainbow Magic Limited.
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. RAINBOW MAGIC is a trademark of Rainbow Magic Limited. Reg. U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and other countries. HIT and the HIT logo are trademarks of HIT Entertainment Limited.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN 978-1-338-05505-4
First edition, March 2017
Cover design by Angela Jun
e-ISBN 978-1-338-05506-1
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Ruth the Red Riding Hood Fairy Page 2