“I don’t know,” Rachel said. “But I’ve got a funny feeling something’s not right.”
It started to snow just then, and the air was full of beautiful sparkling snowflakes swirling in little whirlwinds. Suddenly, Kirsty noticed one extra-sparkly snowflake that landed on the branch of a nearby tree. Curious, she went for a closer look. There, behind it, was Gabriella the Snow Kingdom Fairy!
“Rachel!” Kirsty called. “Over here!” She hurried to see what their new fairy friend was doing back in the human world.
“Hello, Gabriella!” Kirsty smiled. Then her face fell as she realized that Gabriella didn’t look happy. “Is everything all right?” she asked as Rachel joined her by the tree.
“It’s Jack Frost again,” Gabriella told them. “This time he’s stolen the magic chest full of festive spirit!”
“Festive spirit?” Kirsty echoed. “What’s that?”
“It’s a magic potion,” Gabriella explained. “It’s kept inside a silver chest in the Fairyland palace. While it’s there, it ensures that parties and special occasions are fun for all humans and fairies. Whenever there’s a special event, like tomorrow’s festival, I release the festive spirit from the chest, and the celebrations become even more wonderful.”
Rachel remembered all the gloomy-looking people they’d seen that morning and something clicked in her mind. “Now that Jack Frost has the festive spirit, does that mean people won’t be in a party mood?” she guessed.
“That’s right,” said Gabriella. “I was hoping to make the village festival really great tomorrow, but if no one feels happy, it’ll be ruined!”
“How did Jack Frost manage to steal the potion?” Kirsty asked.
“He dressed up as a caroler,” Gabriella explained. “Then he snuck into the Fairyland palace and stole the silver chest. He’s taken it to his castle.”
“We’ll help you get it back,” Rachel said at once.
An anxious expression crossed Gabriella’s face. “That’s very nice of you,” she said, “but I’m afraid there’s only one way we’ll be able to do that.” She swallowed and looked nervous. “We’ll have to go into Jack Frost’s castle ourselves!”
Rachel and Kirsty felt a little frightened at the idea of going into Jack Frost’s castle. They’d been there before with Holly the Christmas Fairy, and both girls knew what a cold, scary place it was.
“We’ve got to do it,” Kirsty said after a moment. She did her best to sound brave and confident.
Rachel had a determined look in her eyes. “We managed it once, so we can do it again,” she agreed. “We can’t let Jack Frost ruin the festival!”
Gabriella smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that,” she told them. “I’ll take you to Fairyland right now!” She waved her wand and lots of snowball-shaped sparkles streamed around the girls. Kirsty and Rachel felt as if they were spinning into a whirlwind. All they could see were blue and red stars.
When the mist cleared, they were lowered to the ground again. The three of them were standing near a holly bush covered in berries.
“We’re fairies!” Kirsty cheered. She peeked over one shoulder to examine her delicate fairy wings. They shimmered in the winter sunshine. She couldn’t resist giving them a gentle flutter so that she lifted off the ground. She loved being able to fly!
Rachel fluttered into the air, too — but as she rose up, she saw what was on the other side of the holly bush. Jack Frost’s Ice Castle! Rachel gulped. In the excitement of becoming a fairy, she’d almost forgotten why they were here.
The castle was built from sheets of gleaming ice and had four towers with ice-blue turrets. The last time the girls had been here, they had thought that it looked lonely — today, however, it seemed much livelier.
Rachel motioned to her friends. “Have you seen what the goblins are doing?” she whispered.
Gabriella and Kirsty flew up to take a look. The castle was swarming with Jack Frost’s goblins, who were working busily to prepare for the party. Some goblins were hanging icicle streamers, while others were blowing up ice-blue balloons.
One goblin stood on the highest tower, hanging up a large flag with Jack Frost’s picture on it.
“We’ll never be able to get into the castle with all those goblins around,” Kirsty said in dismay.
Rachel remembered what Gabriella had said about Jack Frost sneaking into the Fairyland palace by pretending to be a caroler. “Maybe if we disguise ourselves, we’ll be able to get past the goblins,” she suggested. “How about if we’re dressed as delivery people who have an urgent package for Jack Frost? That way they’ll have to let us in!”
“Let’s see if my fairy magic can make something special,” Gabriella said as she waved her wand.
Glittering blue fairy dust danced in the air and a fabulous three-layer cake covered in thick, white frosting appeared. All around the outside of the cake, from top to bottom, ran a miniature twisty slide.
“Look who’s on the slide!” Kirsty cried in excitement. “A tiny model of Jack Frost, on a candy sled!”
“And here are the goblins!” Rachel laughed, pointing out the miniature green figures, who were throwing snowballs at one another, skiing, and sledding. Jack Frost’s beloved snow geese rested on a silvery icing pond. The word “Celebrate” was written on the bottom layer in glitter.
“It’s fantastic!” Rachel said, smiling at Gabriella.
“Thank you,” Gabriella replied, blushing modestly. “Now I’d better give us all something to wear!”
She waved her wand again and blue sparkles tumbled around the three of them. Kirsty and Rachel looked down at themselves to see that they were now wearing red delivery jumpsuits that covered their wings, purple tops, and red baseball caps.
Gabriella was also in a delivery uniform. She quickly tucked her wand into the pocket of her jumpsuit.
“We’re all ready,” she said. “Let’s go!”
Kirsty, Rachel, and Gabriella set off for the castle with the cake. “Delivery!” they called out as they approached the huge double doors, which were guarded by a pair of goblins. It was so cold, icicles hung above their heads.
“Special delivery for a …” Rachel pretended to be reading a label on the cake stand. “A Mr. Jack Frost!”
The goblin guards were very interested in the cake when they saw it. “Ooh, cake!” said one goblin with greedy eyes. “Can we eat it now?”
“I’m starving,” the second goblin said, licking his lips. He tried to scoop up some of the icing with a warty finger, but Kirsty batted him away.
“Excuse me,” she said importantly. “I don’t think Mr. Frost will be very happy if his cake arrives all covered in goblin fingerprints!”
The goblin shrank back at her words. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“Which way to the kitchen, please?” Rachel asked, taking a step closer to the doors. Her heart thumped and she crossed her fingers behind her back, willing the guards to let them in.
“Straight through the doors. Take the first hallway on your left, and follow it around,” the greedy-eyed goblin said, pushing open the enormous metal doors.
The girls and Gabriella stepped inside, hardly able to believe their luck. They had made it into Jack Frost’s Ice Castle! Now all they had to do was find the silver chest containing the festive spirit.
They were standing in a huge, chilly room. Above their heads hung a chandlelier made of ice diamonds.
“This way, I guess,” Gabriella said, pointing to where a dark, gloomy hallway curved away on the left. She shivered. “Let’s walk quickly. It’s freezing in here!”
The three friends made their way down the hallway and found a large, brightly lit kitchen at the end. A goblin chef with a tall white hat was blending silvery-blue ice cream when they entered.
“We’re just delivering this,” Kirsty told the chef, carefully setting the cake down on a table.
The chef barely looked up from his mixing bowl. “Thanks,” he said, then stared at a recipe book. “Stir until ice crystals appear
,” he muttered to himself.
“Um … I was just wondering,” Rachel said. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen a silver chest anywhere in the castle, have you?”
“Or a bottle of violet-colored liquid?” Gabriella added hopefully.
“What’s this, twenty questions?” the goblin grumbled, as he stirred his mixture. “I don’t have time for anything except party food right now, OK?”
“So you haven’t seen the silver —” Kirsty began, but the goblin glared at her.
“I’m busy!” he snapped. “Now go away!”
Kirsty, Rachel, and Gabriella left the room quickly and huddled outside. “What now?” Rachel wondered. “This castle is huge. The festive spirit could be anywhere!”
Kirsty thought hard. Then an idea popped into her head. “Would you be able to turn yourself into a really tiny fairy, Gabriella?” she said, thinking out loud. “Then you could hide in my pocket. Rachel and I could get ourselves captured by the guards, and —”
Rachel interrupted. “Captured?” she echoed.
“Yes,” Kirsty replied. “If we’re captured, the guards are sure to take us to Jack Frost. Then we can tell him we broke in to get the festive spirit, and …”
Rachel and Gabriella were both staring at Kirsty as if she were completely crazy, but she continued talking. “We can make Jack Frost believe that Gabriella is on her way back to Fairyland with the silver chest,” she explained. “Jack Frost is sure to panic and rush to wherever he’s keeping the festive spirit to see if it’s still there. Then we’ll find out where he’s been hiding it!”
Rachel and Gabriella tried to take all of this in. “It’s a clever idea,” Rachel replied after a moment.
“But risky,” Gabriella said. Her pretty face crinkled with doubt.
“Well, I can’t think of any other way to find out where the festive spirit is hidden, can you?” Kirsty asked them.
Her friends shook their heads.
“That settles it, then,” Kirsty said. “We’ll have to try. Now, how should we get ourselves captured?”
“Wait,” Gabriella said. “What will we do once we’ve found out where the festive spirit is? Try to grab it and fly off with it?”
Kirsty hesitated. “Um … I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” she confessed. “I’m not sure. I guess we’ll just have to decide when we see it.”
They all looked at one another. Getting taken to Jack Frost with no real escape plan seemed very dangerous. But, as Kirsty said, they didn’t have any other ideas right now.
“Well, here goes,” Gabriella said. She sprinkled some blue and red fairy dust over herself. Immediately, she began shrinking until she was as small as Kirsty’s little finger. “Will that do?” she asked, her voice a tiny squeak.
“Perfect,” Kirsty said, and pulled open her pocket so Gabriella could slip inside. Then she looked at Rachel. “Now to get ourselves captured!” she said, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt.
Rachel nodded. “Let’s go back to the big hall,” she suggested. “We can pretend to be spying, and hope some of the goblins spot us.”
Once they were in the icy hall, the two friends began prowling around, calling out to each other in loud, clear voices. “Well, she’s not down here,” Kirsty bellowed, pretending to search behind a tall metal coat-stand.
“No, she’s not over here either,” Rachel shouted back, peering behind some midnight-blue curtains at one of the windows.
“I hope she gets away without Jack Frost catching her!” Kirsty called.
“Hey!” came a voice just then. “What’s going on here?”
Two goblins had appeared. Rachel and Kirsty pretended to gasp in fright. “Oh no!” Rachel cried.
“We’ve been caught!” Kirsty wailed.
“You certainly have,” one of the goblins said, stalking toward them with an unpleasant smile. “Looking for something? Spying in the boss’s castle?”
“Take them to the dungeon!” the second goblin declared. “Let’s lock them up. Spies deserve nothing less.”
Rachel and Kirsty exchanged glances. If they were locked in the dungeon, they’d have no chance of seeing Jack Frost! “As long as you don’t take us to Jack Frost,” Rachel begged desperately. “He’s so scary!”
The goblins looked at one another. “On second thought,” one of them said, “let’s take them to Jack Frost. I wonder what he’ll say when we tell him you’ve been spying?”
“Oh no,” Kirsty cried. “We’re going to be in so much trouble!”
The goblins looked pleased. “Yes, you are,” they said, taking Kirsty and Rachel by their wrists. “This way!”
The goblins hauled the girls along a stone hallway into the Great Hall. Jack Frost sat the end of the room on a huge, icy throne. He looked up when he saw the girls enter with his guards. A suspicious gleam came into his eyes. “You two!” he said, recognizing Kirsty and Rachel, despite their delivery uniforms. “What are you doing here?”
“They were spying,” one of the goblins said, pushing the girls roughly toward Jack Frost. “We caught them!”
“Spying, eh?” Jack Frost glared at Rachel and Kirsty. “I should have known. What did you hope to find?”
“Well …” Rachel said timidly, scuffing her foot along the ground. She hesitated, so it would seem like she didn’t want to tell him anything.
“I’m waiting!” he snapped in an icy voice.
“We were trying to get the festive spirit back for the fairies,” Kirsty said after a few moments.
“Of course,” Jack Frost said. “Meddling again. How did you get here?”
“Our friend Gabriella the Snow Kingdom Fairy brought us to Fairyland,” Rachel told him meekly.
“Did she? And where is she now?” Jack Frost asked, leaning forward on his throne.
Rachel and Kirsty exchanged glances. They didn’t want to tell any lies about where Gabriella was, but at the same time they really wanted Jack Frost to think that she had already taken the festive spirit away.
“I … I can’t see her anywhere,” Kirsty said truthfully. “Maybe she’s gone back to the other fairies.”
Jack Frost frowned and stroked his bony chin. “But if she came to get the festive spirit, why would she leave without it?” he wondered. Then a thought struck him. “Unless …” He jumped off his throne with a gasp of horror. “Unless she’s already got it!”
Kirsty and Rachel watched as Jack Frost rushed over to a pattern carved into the floor. It looked like a puzzle made from blocks of ice. What was he doing?
Jack Frost rearranged the squares of ice so that a picture of his face appeared on the blocks. When the picture was complete, he opened a trapdoor in the puzzle and took out a silver chest.
Kirsty held her breath. That had to be the Fairyland chest containing the festive spirit! Jack Frost held up the chest with a grin. “Ha!” he gloated. “Your friend failed. I still have the festive spirit right here!”
Rachel swallowed nervously, and looked at Kirsty. What should they do now? She wished they’d thought out their plan more carefully. The two goblin guards were still in the room, and so was Jack Frost. There was no way she and Kirsty would be able to escape with the chest!
An idea came to Rachel just in time. “Are you sure that’s the real chest?” she asked Jack Frost. “Someone might have put a fake one in there just to trick you.”
Jack Frost looked worried. “Do you mean you put a fake chest in there?” he demanded.
Rachel shrugged, trying as hard as she could to stay calm. It was difficult with Jack Frost staring right at her! “You won’t know until you look, will you?” she asked.
Jack Frost kept looking from the girls to the chest, clearly debating what to do. Eventually, it seemed he couldn’t handle not knowing … so he opened the chest.
Kirsty and Rachel watched anxiously as Jack Frost lifted out a crystal bottle with some violet-colored liquid inside. The bottle had a glass stopper studded with a glittering diamond. Jack Frost pulled out the sto
pper and sniffed the contents.
As he sniffed, the girls saw a sparkling purple vapor swirl out of the bottle and waft around Jack Frost’s head. He replaced the stopper, and a dreamy expression spread over his face. He smiled in wonder at the bottle, and put it carefully back in the chest.
Kirsty felt something wriggling in her pocket and looked down. Gabriella was peeking out, doing an excited dance. “The festive spirit has put Jack Frost in a really happy holiday mood!” the tiny fairy whispered breathlessly.
Jack Frost in a good mood? That didn’t happen very often! Kirsty seized the opportunity to ask him a question. “I was wondering,” she said politely, “would it be all right if we took the chest back to the fairies now? It would be so great to give everyone happy holidays with the festive spirit.”
Jack Frost seemed delighted by the suggestion. “Of course! My pleasure,” he said, closing the latch on the silver chest and handing it to Kirsty. “There’s nothing I’d like more than to see everyone enjoying the holidays.”
“Thank you,” Kirsty said. “That’s very kind. I hope you like your cake, by the way!”
“Cake?” Jack Frost marveled. “For me? Oh, this is the best day!”
“Let’s go,” Gabriella whispered, “before the effects of the festive spirit wear off!”
Rachel, Kirsty, and Gabriella left the throne room and made their way out of the castle very quickly. They didn’t want Jack Frost to change his mind!
Outside, Gabriella did a delighted spin through the air. “Fantastic work, girls,” she cried. “You were terrific in there!”
Gabriella the Snow Kingdom Fairy Page 2