“What am I going to do with you?” Jack Frost was muttering, tapping his long, thin fingers on top of the present. “I think I’ll put you in my deepest ice dungeon and leave you there for one hundred years!”
“Rachel,” Kirsty whispered. “I have an idea. Can you distract the goblins and Jack Frost for a few minutes?”
Rachel looked at her friend curiously, then nodded. “OK,” she whispered back.
“Should we take them to the dungeons, Master?” asked one of the goblins.
“I haven’t decided yet!” Jack Frost snapped. “Now be quiet while I open this present.” He lifted the package and shook it. “I can’t wait to see what’s inside!”
The goblins moved forward, eager to see what was inside the package, too. The goblin who was holding on to Rachel loosened his grip slightly, and Rachel saw her chance. She zoomed up into the air, then flew straight for the door.
“Get her!” Jack Frost yelled furiously.
The goblins rushed after Rachel, shouting and tripping over one another’s feet. At the same time, Kirsty bent down and grabbed a piece of silver wrapping paper and a purple ribbon from the floor. While Jack Frost watched the goblins from the sleigh, Kirsty pulled the gold bag with the magic crown in it out of her pocket. She quickly wrapped it in the silver paper and tied the ribbon around the package. Holly gave her a puzzled look. She had no idea what Kirsty was up to!
Jack Frost was getting more and more angry as his goblins tried to catch Rachel. Eventually, he waved his wand, and Rachel’s wings instantly froze in midair. She fell to the ground, landing on top of two goblins.
“Now,” Jack Frost snapped as two more goblins dragged Rachel to her feet, “I’m going to open this present!”
“Please, Your Majesty,” said Kirsty, stepping forward. “May I say something?”
Jack Frost glared at her. “Make it quick!” he said.
“Won’t you take pity on us?” asked Kirsty. “We only came here to get this one very special present.” She held up the crown, wrapped in silver paper. “It’s for the Fairy King, and it’s very important. Please let us take it to him!”
Jack Frost’s beady eyes lit up as he stared at the present in Kirsty’s hands. “A present for King Oberon?” he muttered. “Give it to me!”
“But —” Kirsty began.
“Now!” Jack Frost roared.
A goblin pushed Kirsty forward. Jack Frost dropped the present he was holding and snatched the other one from Kirsty’s hands.
Kirsty tried not to smile. She knew Jack Frost would take the Fairy King’s present for himself! Now he was ripping the ribbon and paper away to reveal the golden bag. He put his hand inside and drew out the glittering crown.
“A-ha!” he declared triumphantly. “It’s a new crown!” He lifted the crown and lowered it onto his frosty white hair.
Immediately, Jack Frost vanished!
The goblins gasped in surprise. They didn’t know what had happened to their master. Would they be next? They ran around the Great Hall in panic. Some tried to hide under the piles of wrapping paper, while others huddled behind giant icicles.
“Great idea, Kirsty!” Holly laughed.
“Jack Frost has been sent to the Fairy King and Queen,” cried Rachel. She jumped into the magic sleigh and picked up the third present. “And it’s time for us to leave, too!”
“But how are we going to get out of the castle?” asked Kirsty as she hopped into the sleigh.
“Don’t worry about that,” Holly said cheerfully. “The sleigh is magical, you know!” She patted one of the reindeer on the head. “Take us back to Santa, please, my friends!”
The reindeer tossed their antlers joyfully and began to gallop off across the Great Hall. Goblins jumped out of the way as the sleigh picked up speed. Then it rose into the air, heading for the icy roof.
“Oh!” gasped Rachel. “We’re going to crash!”
But, magically, the ice melted away as the sleigh approached. Soon, the girls were soaring out of the castle and up into the clouds. Then the reindeer raced across the sky so fast that everything was a blur.
“Here’s Santa’s workshop!” Holly called at last.
The reindeer slowed down, and the sleigh floated toward the ground. Rachel and Kirsty peered out eagerly. Below them, they saw the pretty log cabin that they remembered from the fairy pool. And there was a big crowd of elves outside, dancing in the snow. The bells on their hats tinkled merrily.
“Hooray!” they cried happily. “You found the sleigh and the reindeer!” As the sleigh landed, the elves ran over to pet the reindeer and feed them carrots.
Rachel and Kirsty gasped as Santa himself came running out of the cabin. He was in such a hurry that he hadn’t even buttoned up his red coat! “Welcome! Welcome!” Santa called, beaming. “My beautiful sleigh and my precious reindeer are safe, thanks to you!”
“Are we in time to save Christmas, Santa?” Rachel asked anxiously.
Santa nodded. “Oh, yes.” He smiled. “It’s going to be a wonderful Christmas!”
“But what about the presents Jack Frost already opened?” Kirsty wanted to know. “Does that mean some children won’t get anything?”
“Oh, no!” Santa said, looking shocked. “That would never do! My elves have made plenty of extra presents.”
As he spoke, a group of elves ran out of the cabin, carrying armfuls of brightly colored gifts. They piled them up in the magic sleigh.
Santa turned to the three girls when the sleigh was full of presents again. “The king and queen will want to see you. Come with me. I’ll drop you off on my way to deliver these gifts.”
Rachel and Kirsty climbed back into the sleigh. They couldn’t believe it. They were going to ride with Santa Claus on Christmas Eve!
Holly joined them as Santa grabbed the reins. “Let’s go, my friends!” Santa called happily to the reindeer. “We have a lot of work to do today!”
Rachel and Kirsty grinned at each other as the sleigh rose into the sky again. They were off to Fairyland!
As Santa’s sleigh got closer to Fairyland, the girls and Holly could see sparkling fireworks exploding below them. The sound of music and fairy laughter drifted up to the sleigh.
“There’s a big party at the palace.” Holly smiled. “They must have heard the good news!”
The reindeer flew lower, and there was a shout from the fairies below as they spotted the sleigh. Rachel and Kirsty waved as they saw all their old friends waiting for them.
“Wonderful job!” called King Oberon as the sleigh landed.
“You helped Holly save Christmas!” Queen Titania added.
The fairies cheered as Rachel, Kirsty, and Holly stepped out of the sleigh.
“We brought you this,” Rachel said, handing the third special present to King Oberon.
“Thank you!” The king beamed. “Will you stay and join the party, Santa?”
Santa shook his head. “I’d love to, but I have a lot of work to do!” He laughed and shook the reins. “Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas!” everyone called as the silver sleigh flew out of sight.
“What happened to Jack Frost?” asked Rachel.
The king frowned. “His magic powers have been taken away from him,” he explained.
“And he must stay in his ice castle for a whole year before he is allowed to use magic again!” the queen said. “But now it’s time to celebrate Christmas. We have special gifts for all three of you.”
She clapped her hands, and two small fairies hurried forward. They carried the two special presents that Holly had brought back to Fairyland earlier.
“These presents are so special because they are for the three of you!” the queen said.
Rachel, Holly, and Kirsty gasped in surprise, and everyone laughed.
“Since it’s Christmas Eve, you can open them right away.” The king smiled and handed Holly the present that Rachel had just given him.
Eagerly, Holly tore the gold paper off th
e package and peeked inside the box. “A new wand!” she cried. “It’s beautiful!”
“It is extra powerful,” Queen Titania told her as Holly twirled the wand above her head. It left a trail of magic sparkles behind it and made the sweet sound of tinkling Christmas bells.
“It will help you make Christmas more magical than ever before.” The queen smiled.
“Thank you!” Holly beamed.
Queen Titania handed the other two presents to Rachel and Kirsty. They couldn’t wait to see what was inside! Rachel managed to open hers a second before Kirsty, and she gasped with delight.
“It’s a fairy doll!” Rachel said, her eyes shining. “Look, Kirsty — a fairy for the top of your Christmas tree!”
The doll sparkled with magic. She wore a white dress that glittered with silver and gold, and had a sparkling crown over her long hair. Kirsty had a doll that was exactly the same.
“I can’t wait to get home and put it on our Christmas tree!” Kirsty said, smiling happily.
“There’s just one more thing!” The queen laughed. “These dolls are magical. Every year, they will bring you a special Christmas present from the fairies!”
Rachel and Kirsty were thrilled. They’d never expected this!
“But we shouldn’t keep you any longer,” the king said suddenly. “It’s time for you to go home, or you’ll be late for Christmas!”
Quickly, the girls said their good-byes. They both gave Holly
a hug, and then the queen waved her wand. “Thank you!” she called.
“And Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas!” Rachel and Kirsty replied as they were caught up in a whirl of magic fairy dust.
“Merry Christmas!” called all the fairies.
Suddenly, the fairy voices died away, the magic dust cleared, and Rachel and Kirsty found themselves back to their normal size in the Walkers’ yard.
“We did it, Rachel!” Kirsty laughed breathlessly. “We saved Christmas!”
“Let’s go in the house and put my fairy doll on top of the Christmas tree,” Rachel grinned.
The girls ran inside. Kirsty watched as Rachel placed the fairy doll carefully on the top of the tree.
“She looks beautiful!” Rachel said happily.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Rachel ran to see who it was and found Kirsty’s mom and dad standing outside.
“Merry Christmas!” said Mr. and Mrs. Tate with a smile.
“Mom! Dad!” Kirsty cried, rushing over to them.
Mr. and Mrs. Tate stayed for hot chocolate and pie, and then it was time for Kirsty to leave. She gave Rachel a big hug.
“Have a great Christmas!” Kirsty told her friend.
“You, too,” Rachel replied. Then she stood on the doorstep with her mom and dad, waving at the Tates as they drove away.
Mr. and Mrs. Walker closed the front door and returned to the cozy living room, but Rachel stayed in the hall with Buttons. She stared up at the glittering fairy on top of the tree.
Then Rachel blinked hard. Was she seeing things? The fairy had smiled at her, and a cloud of magic sparkles had drifted from her wand!
Rachel looked down to see where the sparkles had fallen — and there was a present under the tree that hadn’t been there before. It was wrapped in gold paper and tied with a bow that glittered in all the colors of the rainbow.
Rachel smiled and patted Buttons. This really was going to be the best Christmas ever!
Gabriella’s Magic Snowflake
A Fairy Snowball!
Freeze!
A Special Discovery
Race Down the Mountain
A Snowy Surprise
Happy Holidays
Stolen!
Outside the Ice Castle
A Very Special Delivery
Caught by the Guards!
Spread a Little Happiness
Quest for Fire
A Winter Chill
Green Elves
An Ice Idea
Gift Wrapped
Fireworks!
“We’re going to try out the slopes,” Kirsty Tate called to her mom. “We’ll be back for lunch.”
“See you later!” Rachel Walker shouted to her mom and dad.
The two friends grinned at each other as their parents called back good-byes. Both girls were wearing new ski outfits, knitted hats, and gloves. Kirsty pushed open the door of the ski lodge, and they stepped out into the bright sunshine.
Mountain peaks rose majestically all around, covered in thick white snow. Skiers were already racing down the slopes in colorful groups. Other people were careening around on snowboards, sun glinting off their snow goggles.
Rachel couldn’t stop smiling. “It’s so fantastic being on vacation with you again!” she said.
Kirsty nodded. “I know,” she agreed, linking arms with her best friend. “All this snow, and the Winter Festival starts in a few days, too!” She beamed. “And you never know, we might meet a fairy. We always have such magical adventures when we’re together!”
The girls’ parents had rented them each skis and a snowboard. Rachel and Kirsty went to find them in the small shed at the side of the lodge. “I’m going to try my skis first,” Kirsty decided. She grabbed a pair of ski poles, skis, and special ski boots, and sat down to put them on.
“I’ll try the snowboard,” Rachel said eagerly. She picked up a turquoise board that was long and slender, with round ends.
When the girls were both ready, they found a small slope to practice on.
“Wheeee! ” Kirsty squealed, pushing off. “Here I go!” She flew down the slope, but wobbled at the end and crashed sideways in the icy snow. She got to her feet gingerly and rubbed her legs.
“My turn now. … Yay!” cried Rachel, standing on her board and riding downhill. It was tricky keeping her balance, and she tumbled into the snow. “Ow!” she cried, as her elbow hit a particularly icy patch. “This snow isn’t very soft, is it?”
Kirsty shook her head. “Look at that girl over there,” she whispered, helping her friend up. “The snow’s so crumbly, she can’t even build her snowman!”
Rachel watched the girl struggle with her snowman nearby. The snow wasn’t clumping together. Instead, it fell apart into ice chips.
“Maybe we should leave skiing and snowboarding for later,” Rachel suggested. “How about a snowball fight?”
“You’re on!” Kirsty laughed as she quickly unstrapped her skis.
The girls started making snowballs, but the snow didn’t stick together very well. And then, when they threw them at each other, the snowballs were so hard that they really hurt!
Rachel had just opened her mouth to suggest they try something else, when she saw a snowball flying toward her face. Before she could duck, the snowball burst apart in a puff of sparkling snow crystals. Rachel jumped in surprise. Hovering in midair, right where the snowball had been, was a fairy!
“Oh!” gasped Rachel. “Hello! Who are you?”
The fairy had chestnut-brown hair and fluffy white earmuffs that were shiny with silver glitter. She wore a purple coat with a red-and-purple striped dress underneath, red leggings, and purple snow boots.
“I’m Gabriella,” the fairy said, as she curtsied. “Gabriella the Snow Kingdom Fairy. And I’m really glad to see you here!”
Kirsty hurried over. “Hi, Gabriella,” she said to the tiny fairy. “I’m Kirsty. Is everything all right?”
Gabriella shook her head sadly. “No,” she said. “Jack Frost is up to his tricks again! He’s stolen my special magic snowflake, which makes all the snow soft, fluffy, and white. Now that it’s missing, snow everywhere is much harder and icier.”
“We noticed,” Kirsty said. “How did he get your snowflake?”
“Well, every year on the first of December, I hang my magic snowflake on the Christmas tree outside the Fairyland palace,” Gabriella explained. “But this morning, the snowflake was gone — and there were goblin footprints all around the tree. I’m sure Jack
Frost ordered his goblins to steal it and hide it in the human world.”
“We’ll help you look for it,” Rachel said.
“Thank you,” Gabriella said gratefully. “I’m afraid it’ll be difficult to spot. The only clue will be a patch of snow that looks perfectly sparkly and fluffy. That could mean my magic snowflake is nearby.”
Kirsty gazed around, then frowned as she noticed that it was snowing over a nearby pine forest. “How weird,” she commented. “It’s snowing there — but not here!”
Gabriella swung around to see. She tilted her head as she looked carefully at the falling flakes. A smile appeared on her face. “They look like perfect snowflakes to me,” she declared.
“Does that mean … ?” Rachel began excitedly.
Gabriella nodded. “I’m sure my magic snowflake must be in that forest. Let’s go and look!”
The three friends set off to investigate. They made their way through the pine trees and saw a small clearing ahead. They could hear voices calling out in the crisp morning air, and as they got closer to the clearing, they saw that it was full of goblins!
“Hide!” Kirsty said, darting behind a spiky pine tree. Rachel and Gabriella followed. They couldn’t let the goblins spot them — they would guess that the girls and Gabriella were looking for the magic snowflake.
Rachel, Kirsty, and Gabriella peeked cautiously through the branches of the pine tree. The goblins were having a great time playing in the snow … and it seemed to be very fluffy snow, too!
“My snowflake must be nearby,” Gabriella whispered. “That snow looks perfect. So do the falling flakes. They’re so fluffy and soft!”
The Rainbow Magic Holiday Collection Page 7