“Let’s start with a few acting exercises,” she said. “I’ll give you a scene to imagine, then you three have to act out what the characters might say. It’s called improvising.”
The goblin who had been playing the part of the fairy prince scratched his head.
“That sounds way too difficult,” he said, sulking.
“Not if you think about it,” encouraged Rachel. “Just try.”
Kirsty held her breath. Goblins didn’t like having to think too much.
“What about me?” complained the goblin director. “If the other two try this improvising thing, how am I supposed to boss them around?”
“You don’t need a director when you’re improvising,” replied Rachel. “You can all try acting this time.”
The goblin director glared at the goblin actors. Ordering them around had been his favorite part!
“Well,” asked Rachel, “are you going to do it or not?”
The goblin director paced up and down the glade, still clutching the silver script.
“Come on!” yelled the goblin who had been playing the fairy princess. “I want to give this a try!”
The goblin director screwed up his face.
“I don’t want to!” he squawked, turning his back on the girls.
“That’s too bad,” sighed Rachel. “I was going to give you the starring role.”
The goblin spun around. He was too vain to give up a starring role!
“I’ll do it!” he cried, elbowing his two friends out of the way.
“Imagine that you’re a great writer who just finished a really amazing new book,” said Rachel. “Kirsty is going to play your publisher.”
“Pretend you’re coming to my office to deliver the story,” Kirsty said.
The vain goblin puffed out his chest.
“That’s easy!” he declared. “Just leave it to me.”
The other two goblins scowled and looked like they were both about to complain. They didn’t want to miss out on the limelight!
Rachel thought quickly.
“You two will play the writer’s children,” she decided. “Stay in the background for the moment.”
“That’s not fair!” shouted both goblins at the same time.
“Don’t worry,” said Rachel. “Your big scene comes next.”
“Are we ready to start?” asked Kirsty. “Then . . . action!”
The long-nosed goblin swaggered across the glade, holding the silver script up in the air.
“I’m here to see my publisher!” he announced, pretending to knock on an imaginary door. “My masterpiece is ready!”
The goblin tried to make his voice sound very grand and clever. Watching through the trees, the other goblins forgot to be quiet and started to giggle.
“Please come in,” replied Kirsty, playing along with the scene.
“I think you’ll enjoy reading this,” continued the goblin, handing her the silver script. “It’s very special.”
At that instant, Keira burst out of Kirsty’s pocket. Quickly, the fairy swished through the air, a trail of golden stars fizzing behind her. She tapped the silver script lightly with her wand, magically shrinking it down to fairy-size.
“It is special!” Keira laughed. “Thank you for giving it back, Mr. Goblin Writer!”
It took the goblins a full five seconds to figure out what had happened. When they realized that they’d been tricked, the threesome squawked with rage.
“Stop!” they shouted furiously. “That script needs to be delivered to Jack Frost!”
The goblins lunged and jumped for the enchanted script, but Keira did a swift loop-the-loop high in the air above them.
“This is going back to Fairyland,” she told them. “Where it belongs.”
“What are we going to do now?” snapped the long-nosed goblin. “I’m not telling Jack Frost.”
“Me, neither!” howled the goblin with the big ears.
The long-nosed goblin scrambled into the woods. “Time to hide!” he wailed. When the silly goblins had finally disappeared, Keira smiled at Kirsty and Rachel.
“Thank you so much!” she exclaimed, magically changing the girls back into their normal clothes. “Now actors everywhere will be able to play their parts correctly. See you again soon!”
Keira tucked the silver script under her arm and vanished in a shimmer of fairy dust.
“Good-bye!” Rachel called after her. “It was nice to meet you.”
Kirsty pointed the way toward Mrs. Croft’s cottage.
“Let’s go back to the movie set,” she suggested. “I’ll bet those rehearsals are on track again!”
“I hope so,” Rachel replied, “but we should keep an extra-special eye out for those goblins. Who knows what Jack Frost will do when he finds out Keira has the silver script back. He won’t give up that easily.”
Kirsty nodded, linking arms with Rachel. Whatever happened, the girls would be there to help their fairy friends!
A Cast in Chaos
Seeing Pool Surprise
An Ear-splitting Scene
Silence Is Golden
Back to Fairyland
“We’re here just in time!” said Rachel, opening Mrs. Croft’s back gate. “Now that Keira’s got the silver script, the rehearsals can start again.”
The girls could already hear the director’s voice from across the garden. He was reading out a list of names through his megaphone. All the actors playing fairies and elves were asked to gather under the blossoming trees.
“Everybody needs to be in costume, please,” called the director. “The engagement party scene is going to be a full dress rehearsal.”
“Let’s hurry,” exclaimed Kirsty. “I don’t want to miss a thing!”
The friends scurried back along the stepping-stones that skirted Mrs. Croft’s cottage. Actors dressed as elves rushed past them, buttoning up velvet jackets. The costume designer the girls had met earlier was busy helping fairy cast members slip on gauzy wings dotted with sequins. A prop person handed out sparkly wands.
“Let’s sit over there,” suggested Rachel, pointing to a wooden bench tucked away next to the garden pond.
Kirsty happily took her seat, admiring the fountain that bubbled in the middle of the pond, rainbow colors dancing in its spray. This was the perfect place to watch a magical fairy rehearsal!
“There’s Julianna!” Kirsty whispered, pointing across the garden.
The movie’s leading lady stepped out from underneath a tree covered in pink blossoms. Julianna had a robe over her costume and a silk scarf tied loosely around her hair. She was listening closely to the director’s instructions for the next scene. Chad was standing by some roses, waiting for a makeup artist to powder his nose.
“At least we know Julianna and Chad won’t forget their lines now,” murmured Rachel, relieved that the silver script was out of goblin hands.
“We’ll start filming under the trees,” called the director through his megaphone, “then the fairy servants should follow the princess as she flutters over to the rose arch.”
Kirsty and Rachel both watched in admiration. Julianna had slipped her robe off her shoulders, revealing a lovely lilac gown. The star untied her headscarf and handed it to her assistant. A diamond tiara twinkled on top of her hair, which had been curled in pretty golden ringlets.
“She really does look like a fairy princess!” whispered Rachel.
“Let’s roll!” announced the director.
The cast and crew fell silent, waiting for Julianna to say her first line. Instead, the actress delicately lifted the hem of her skirt and walked toward the rose arch.
“The royal celebrations are ready to begin!” she cried, curtsying in front of Chad. “All of my ladies-in-waiting should be in attendance.”
Chad looked very confused — he was still having his makeup done!
The director picked up his megaphone.
“Miss Stewart,” he said gently, “you’re too early! The lines with your
fairy servants should take place under the tree. Then you move across to greet the prince at the rose arch.”
“That’s not what you said,” she muttered, wrinkling her nose.
The director coughed politely and shook his head.
“Can we try again?” he called. “Everyone go back to the flowering tree.”
Julianna took her place back under the tree and then began to recite her lines. But when she turned to speak to her costars, her fairy servants had vanished from sight.
“Ladies-in-waiting!” bellowed the director. “Where are you?”
Three actresses wearing peach chiffon dresses peeked out from under the rose arch.
“We’re over here,” replied one. “Just where you told us to be!”
“Now there’s no room for me!” Chad complained, marching toward the trees. “I’m going to stand with Julianna.”
The frustrated director shook his megaphone in the air.
“No, no, no!” he wailed. “That’s not what I said!”
Kirsty and Rachel swapped concerned glances.
“Something’s wrong,” said Kirsty. “No one has a clue what they should be doing!”
The girls watched in dismay as the director tried to fix the mess. Every instruction he shouted through the megaphone seemed to make things worse. After a few more minutes, even he seemed to have forgotten where he wanted his actors to stand!
The rehearsal was in chaos. Confused actors stormed back to their trailers, leaving the crew to argue over what to do next.
“This is awful!” declared Rachel. “What are we going to do?”
Suddenly, the fountain in front of the girls began to bubble higher, shooting up a spray of silvery water. There, rising on the crest of the cascade, was Keira! The fairy waved at Kirsty and Rachel, but her face looked pale with worry.
Keira motioned the girls over to the bushes at the back of the garden.
“Will you come with me to Fairyland?” She gasped. “We don’t have much time!”
Keira explained that Queen Titania had made a special request for Kirsty and Rachel’s help.
“Her Majesty will tell you everything when we get to Fairyland,” urged Keira. “Will you come?”
“Of course!” cried both girls at once.
A whirl of fairy magic spun around the friends, surrounding them in a flurry of golden stars. Kirsty and Rachel felt themselves suddenly getting smaller and smaller until they were transformed into fairies, with shimmering wings on their shoulders.
The friends joined hands, then flew toward the fountain. Sunbeams danced in the spray, dazzling the three with rainbow lights. Kirsty and Rachel closed their eyes.
When they opened them again, they were gliding above the emerald hills of Fairyland! The hills were dotted with the scarlet rooftops of toadstool houses, and every so often a fairy opened a window to wave hello.
Before they knew it, the glittering pink towers of Fairyland Palace came into view. The friends landed gently in front of a pair of hedges that were trimmed in the shape of peacocks.
Keira led the way through the hedges into a lovely walled garden. Little paths meandered up and down the lawns, lined with pretty shells and colorful flowers. In the middle, there was a pond filled with exquisite water lilies. Kirsty and Rachel recognized this as the magical Seeing Pool. Queen Titania was standing next to the pool, her arm held out in welcome. The girls rushed over and curtsied.
“Hello again, girls!” the queen said warmly.
“Your Majesty,” said Rachel breathlessly. “We came as soon as we could.”
“We’re here to help in any way we can,” added Kirsty.
The queen smiled at the girls, but her eyes looked troubled.
“Thank you,” she said with a gracious nod. “I asked Keira to bring you here because The Starlight Chronicles is in serious trouble.”
Rachel and Kirsty swapped worried glances.
“What happened?” asked Rachel.
Queen Titania stepped toward the Seeing Pool and waved her magic wand. The trickling waters instantly stilled and cleared.
“Come closer,” she said as the pool began to shine with magical light.
Kirsty, Rachel, and Keira gazed into the enchanted waters. A picture of Jack Frost slowly formed on the surface. The Ice Lord’s face was creased into an angry scowl.
“That’s Mrs. Croft’s garden!” Rachel gasped, noticing the blossoming trees behind him. “What’s he doing there?”
“When his goblins didn’t bring back the silver script, Jack Frost got tired of waiting for them,” explained Keira. “He stormed all the way to Wetherbury to find out what was going on!”
“He must have his heart set on becoming a movie star,” said Kirsty.
When the friends looked into the Seeing Pool again, it showed Jack Frost snooping around the movie set. Kirsty and Rachel frowned as he picked up a megaphone hanging on the back of the director’s chair.
He peered left and right to make sure the coast was clear, then stuffed the megaphone underneath his jagged purple cloak, cackling in delight. The friends shuddered as they heard him boast about taking the loot back to his frosty home.
“He shouldn’t take things that don’t belong to him,” said Kirsty as the picture faded into bubbles. “The director needs that megaphone to do his job!”
“It’s not just any megaphone,” added Keira. “Jack Frost snatched my magical megaphone. I’d loaned it to The Starlight Chronicles to make sure filming went well! But if it’s locked away in his Ice Castle, the director won’t be able to get everyone organized.”
Rachel thought back to the disastrous rehearsal. No wonder everything had been going wrong! How were they going to get the magical megaphone back?
Would you be willing to go with Keira to Jack Frost’s Ice Castle?” Queen Titania asked the girls. “The magical megaphone must be found and returned.”
Kirsty and Rachel both nodded their heads.
“Of course, Your Majesty,” said Kirsty.
“Thank you so much,” said the queen, lifting her wand once again. “The magical megaphone should be easy to find. Its sound can travel for miles.”
Queen Titania pointed her wand up to the sky. Multicolored fairy dust sparkled and flashed all around the fairies.
When the fairy dust finally settled, the beautiful gardens had disappeared. Instead, Kirsty, Rachel, and Keira found themselves in a dark forest.
A biting wind blew through the icy trees, making the fairies shiver.
“We’re in Jack Frost’s kingdom now,” whispered Keira. “The Ice Castle is just on the other side of this forest.”
Suddenly, a chilling voice echoed through the trees.
“You goblins are useless!” it cried.
“That sounds like Jack Frost!” Rachel gasped, looking nervously around her. “Where is he?”
The fairies fluttered up into the dark branches to listen again. The sinister voice ranted and raved, carried on the freezing wind.
“All you had to do was bring back the silver script!” it bellowed. “I should have swiped it myself!”
Kirsty looked left and right, but Jack Frost was nowhere to be seen.
“He must be shouting through the magical megaphone!” guessed Keira. “Let’s follow the noise.”
Keira darted into the dark clouds swirling above the forest. Up there, the fairies could see jagged snow-capped mountains and the frosty-blue turrets of the Ice Castle jutting out from the surrounding gloom.
Rachel, Kirsty, and Keira flew straight toward the castle. As they got closer, Jack Frost’s angry shouts boomed louder and louder.
“Watch out for the goblin guards!” said Rachel as the friends landed on the castle battlements.
Kirsty looked along the ramparts. At one end, she could see a pair of goblins on sentry duty, but they weren’t paying attention. They were wobbling backward and forward, their palms pressed to their ears. The fairies slipped past them, fluttering down to the castle courtyard.
/> Down on the ground, the noise was almost unbearable. Kirsty ducked behind a pillar, then peeked back out.
Keira fluttered forward, but darted back the instant she spotted Jack Frost. He was pacing around the courtyard, shouting at his goblins.
“There are the goblins who stole the silver script,” Keira murmured to her friends. “Jack Frost is yelling at them through the magical megaphone!”
The poor goblins were in a very sad state. As well as the troublesome ones who had tried to steal the script, a mob of other goblins had been summoned from all over the castle. Some had their fingers in their ears, others had ice packs pressed against their foreheads. Jack Frost’s noisy shouting was giving the goblins dreadful headaches, but he didn’t seem to care.
“Listen to me!” thundered Jack Frost at the top of his voice. “You need to start working on my first movie! I want you to steal some cameras and spotlights. I’m going to need a director’s chair, too. . . .”
“We have to stop him,” urged Kirsty, forced to shout over the din.
Rachel held her hands up to her head.
“But we can’t get any closer,” she cried. “The noise is deafening!”
Kirsty and Rachel watched as the goblins tried to make sense of Jack Frost’s ear-splitting demands. With their fingers in their ears, they were getting terribly confused. Some goblins bumped into one another and others wailed in protest at the horrible noise.
“We have to do something!” said Kirsty. “Jack Frost is sure to cause even more trouble now that he has the magical megaphone!”
“What was that?” called Rachel as the shouts got even louder. “I can’t hear you!”
Keira the Movie Star Fairy Page 2