“No sign of the firestone, though.” Gabriella sighed, gazing around. “Let’s look at the rest of the stalls.”
The girls walked along, looking carefully for any sign of flames. After a while, they saw a stall that claimed to be run by “Santa’s Elves.” There were a lot of people gathered around the stall, which was selling something called “Toasted Bogmallows.”
“Bogmallows?” Kirsty read in surprise. “What are they?” She and Rachel went closer to see. The bogmallows looked just like big green marshmallows.
Then Rachel noticed how green the “elves” running the stall were. “Goblins!” she hissed to her friends.
“And there’s the firestone!” Gabriella added in an excited whisper. She pointed a finger to where a large glowing stone sat on the counter, surrounded by a magical flame. Above, piles of gooey green marshmallows toasted on a metal rack.
Gabriella shook her head. “I can’t believe they’re using such a powerful stone to warm their silly bogmallows,” she said. “I’m glad we know where it is, at least.”
Rachel watched as people lined up, paid, and were told to help themselves to toasted bogmallows from the counter. “Is the firestone very hot?” she asked Gabriella in a low voice.
Gabriella shook her head. “It isn’t hot to the touch,” she replied. “It’s heating the bogmallows with special fiery magic.”
“Maybe Kirsty and I should each buy a bogmallow and try to grab it?” Rachel suggested.
“Good idea,” Gabriella said.
Kirsty agreed. “Let’s give it a try!”
Rachel and Kirsty joined the line for bogmallows. They pulled their hats low over their eyes and wound their scarves high around their faces, hoping the goblins wouldn’t recognize them. The goblins were very busy, however. Some were opening new bags of bogmallows for toasting, others were counting out change, and a few were deep in conversation at the back of the stall.
The girls handed over their money. “Help yourselves!” said a goblin wearing a white apron, putting the coins in a pot. Kirsty took a bogmallow and stretched out her hand to grab the firestone. But just as her fingers were about to close around it, a goblin hand snatched the stone away.
Rachel took a bogmallow, too, and the girls moved to the side of the stall.
“Rats,” Kirsty muttered. “I almost had it!”
“We’ll have to think of another plan,” Rachel said, nibbling her bogmallow. It was delicious — just like a toasted marshmallow.
The two girls and Gabriella all perked up their ears when they realized what the goblins were discussing.
“Jack Frost already has everything he needs,” one of the goblins grumbled. “How are we supposed to think of a good present to give him at the party?”
“You know what he’s like,” a second goblin complained. “He’ll be really angry if we don’t find the perfect gift.”
The goblin in the white apron, who’d been working at the front of the stall, turned to face the arguing goblins with his hands on his hips. “If you don’t start helping sell these bogmallows, we won’t raise enough money to buy anything!” he snapped.
“Hmmm,” Rachel said. “Maybe if we offer the goblins a present for Jack Frost, they’ll agree to exchange it for the firestone.”
“Good idea,” Kirsty said, “but what? It would have to be amazing to make them want to swap.”
The three friends thought hard for a few moments. Then an idea popped into Rachel’s head. “Gabriella, would you be able to create an ice statue like the ones we saw the sculptors working on earlier?”
“Of course,” Gabriella replied. “But why?”
Rachel grinned. “I thought of the perfect present for Jack Frost,” she explained. “An ice sculpture of himself ! It would be a great centerpiece for his party!”
Kirsty’s face lit up. “That’s a terrific idea!” She laughed.
“We all know how vain Jack Frost is,” Gabriella agreed. “He’ll love it!”
Quickly, they all moved behind a booth so that no one could see them. Gabriella waved her wand and a large block of ice appeared. With a few sprinkles of fairy dust, a statue was created that looked just like Jack Frost. The ice figure wore robes and a glittering crown.
“Wow,” Rachel said. “That’s fantastic!”
“It won’t last forever, of course,” Gabriella said, “even in Jack Frost’s freezing castle. But it should last as long as the party does.”
“That’ll be fine,” Kirsty said with a smile. “Now all we have to do is convince the goblins to exchange it for the firestone!”
Gabriella sprinkled fairy dust on the statue to make it lighter and easier to carry, then returned to her hiding place in Rachel’s scarf. Kirsty and Rachel lifted the frozen sculpture and took it very carefully back to the goblins’ stall.
“We’re all sold out,” the goblin in the apron shouted to the others. He rattled the pot of coins. “What are we going to spend all this money on? Who’s thought of a good present for Jack Frost?”
There was an uneasy silence as all the other goblins looked at one another and shuffled their feet.
“We thought of a good present!” Rachel called, as she and Kirsty carried the statue toward the booth. Gabriella leaned out from her hiding place and pointed her wand at the statue. With a bright blue flash of fairy magic, the statue rose from the girls’ hands and floated over to the booth.
“Aarrrgh!” the goblins all screamed, thinking it was their boss coming to surprise them.
“It’s a statue carved from ice,” Kirsty said, trying not to giggle at the panicking goblins. “Isn’t it good? We could make a trade — you give us the firestone, and you get this fabulous statue as a present for Jack Frost!”
The goblins looked relieved. “It does look like him,” one of them said, leaning over the counter for a closer look. “But …”
“But what?” Rachel prompted.
“Well, it doesn’t look much like a present, does it?” the goblin said, wrinkling his long nose.
“What do you mean?” Kirsty asked. “What should a present look like?”
The goblin shrugged. “Well, it should be wrapped up in paper, with a ribbon to untie, and …” Gabriella fluttered out from Rachel’s scarf. “So if we gift wrap the statue, it’ll be good enough?” she asked.
The goblins looked at one another. “Well, we don’t have anything better, do we?” one of them muttered. That seemed to make up their minds. They turned back to the girls. “Yes,” the goblin with the white apron said. “It’s a deal — we’ll trade it for the firestone, if you wrap up the statue nicely.”
“OK,” Gabriella said. She waved her wand at the statue, and fairy dust flew all around it. Seconds later, the statue was covered in holly-patterned paper and tied with a white velvet ribbon.
“Yay!” cheered the goblins, jumping up and down.
“The fireworks will be starting in two minutes!” a man with a megaphone walked by and announced. “If we can get them to light, that is,” he added. “Please make your way down to the town square.”
Rachel held out her hand for the firestone. She had to get it back to Gabriella before the fireworks were ruined. “Firestone, please,” she said to the goblins. But before they could pass it to her, a blast of freezing wind blew in — and Jack Frost himself appeared!
Rachel and Kirsty ducked behind the booth before he saw them, and Gabriella darted behind the “Toasted Bogmallows” sign. Luckily, most of the people at the festival were making their way down to the town square, so no one had noticed the unusual arrival.
Jack Frost did not seem to be in a good mood. Kirsty held her breath as he stalked over to the goblins. She really didn’t want him to spot her, Rachel, or Gabriella. He would be furious if he knew they were trying to get the firestone!
“The party’s about to start,” Jack Frost said in an icy voice. “I want to know where my present is!”
“It’s here!” the goblins cried, rushing out from behind the counter.
“It’s right here. Open it!”
Jack Frost’s gaze fell on the green present and his eyes glittered with excitement. He untied the ribbon and pulled off the wrapping paper.
Rachel and Kirsty anxiously watched as Jack Frost stared at the ice sculpture of himself. His spiky face didn’t show any expression. He was speechless.
Rachel huddled closer to Kirsty, feeling very tense. Both girls knew what a terrible temper Jack Frost had. If he didn’t like the gift, there was sure to be trouble — and then they would never get the firestone back!
“It’s … it’s …” Jack Frost stuttered. Then he smiled. “It’s fantastic!” He walked all around the statue, looking at every detail. “This is amazing. The sculptor captured my star quality perfectly.”
The goblins grinned and high-fived one another as Jack Frost struck a heroic pose that looked just like the statue. “Wonderful,” he said happily. “The best present ever!”
Kirsty nudged Rachel in excitement. “He loves it!” she whispered.
Jack Frost clapped his hands. “Good job, goblins!” he said. “I’ll make sure you all have a great time at the party tonight. I’ll take this back to Fairyland now. See you later!” With that, he vanished in an icy whirlwind.
Rachel and Kirsty came out from their hiding place. “A deal’s a deal,” Rachel said to the goblins, holding out her hand again. “Now can we please have the firestone?”
The goblins were almost jumping with joy. It was obvious that Jack Frost wasn’t normally so nice to them.
“Here it is,” the goblin in the white apron said, giving Rachel the firestone.
“Let’s go to the party!” the other goblins cheered, and they all left.
Rachel held the firestone out to Gabriella. The little fairy shrank it with her wand so that she’d be able to take it back to Fairyland.
“Thanks again for all your help,” the beaming fairy said, kissing both girls. “What would I do without you? Now I’d better bring the magic firestone to its rightful place in the Fairyland palace hearth, so that the festival fireworks can begin!”
“Bye, Gabriella,” Kirsty said. “I really enjoyed our adventures.”
“Me, too,” Rachel said. “Good-bye!”
Gabriella waved a hand and then flew away. Soon she was only a bright blue spark of light against the dark night sky.
“We’d better go find our parents,” Kirsty said as they watched the fairy disappear.
The two girls walked toward the bonfire. Just as they reached the end of the street, a great cheer rose up from the town square. Rachel and Kirsty saw that the bonfire had finally been lit and bright flames were crackling all over the wood.
“Gabriella must have returned the firestone,” Rachel said with a smile. “That was quick!”
“Just in time,” Kirsty said happily, linking an arm through Rachel’s. “Come on, let’s hurry, before the fireworks begin!”
The two friends raced to join their parents and warm their hands by the blazing bonfire. Moments later, the first fireworks went off with pops and bangs. The sky was filled with beautiful colors and showers of bright sparks. The whole crowd oohed and ahhed in delight.
“I’m so glad we could help Gabriella the Snow Kingdom Fairy,” Rachel said to Kirsty as they watched a firework explode in a flash of blue and red sparks.
Kirsty nodded. “Me, too,” she said. “We’ve helped make the holidays wonderful for everyone!”
Ballet Slipper Slip-up
Casting Crisis
Paige Appears
Christmas Play Problem
Get that Goblin!
It’s Raining Goblins!
More Missing Magic
The Christmas Play Ponies
Pony Problems
Horseshoe Hunting
Goblin Behind the Glass
Perfect Ponies
The Show Must Go On
A Christmas Surprise
All the Wrong Lines
Flying Shoes
If the Shoe Fits …
A Standing Ovation
“Only three more days until Christmas!” Rachel Walker said, skipping down High Street in Tippington and beaming happily at her best friend, Kirsty Tate. “I’m so glad you could come visit, Kirsty, even if it’s just for a few days.”
“Me, too,” Kirsty agreed, looking excited. She had arrived the day before, and her parents were coming to Tippington again to pick her up on Christmas Eve. “I hope it snows, don’t you? It makes Christmas so magical.”
“And magic is something we know all about!” Rachel exclaimed, laughing. Kirsty knew exactly what Rachel meant. Ever since the two girls had met on a magical vacation to Rainspell Island, they had become best friends with the fairies!
“One, two, three!” Rachel counted as she practiced her dance steps along the sidewalk. “This is the trickiest step in my dance for the Christmas play. I want it to be perfect.”
Rachel was dancing in the Tippington Christmas play. It was always a big production of a well-known show. This year, they were doing a performance of Cinderella. On Christmas Eve, Rachel would be one of four girls dancing in the big ballroom scene. Rachel and Kirsty were on their way to Tippington Theater, for a rehearsal.
“Thanks for inviting me to the rehearsal,” Kirsty said as they reached the theater. “I wish I could come to the actual performance.”
“Me, too,” Rachel agreed, looking glum. “But the show is always so popular that the tickets sold out really fast. I couldn’t even get any for my mom and dad!” Then she brightened. “We’re practicing the ballroom scene today, though, so at least you’ll get to see my dance.” The girls went in through the stage door. There was a lot of hustle and bustle backstage, and Kirsty looked around with interest.
“Rachel! Kirsty!” a girl’s voice called.
The girls turned and saw Karen Lewis, a friend of Rachel’s from school, waving at them and looking really excited.
“Karen is one of the dancers in the ballroom scene, too,” Rachel told Kirsty, as Karen came rushing over.
“Rachel, our costumes are here!” Karen said with a big smile.
“Oh!” Rachel looked thrilled. “I thought they weren’t coming until the final rehearsal tomorrow.”
“Well, they’re here now!” Karen laughed. “I can’t wait to see what we’re wearing.”
The three girls hurried to the room backstage where the costumes had been laid out. Most of the cast members were there already. There was a buzz of excited chatter!
Rachel glanced around the room at the colorful costumes, which all had labels pinned to them.
“Ours are over here!” Karen called from the other side of the room.
Rachel and Kirsty hurried to look. A beautiful white ballet dress with puffy white layers lay on a chair. It was labeled RACHEL. Next to the dress was a pair of pink satin ballet shoes with long ribbons, and a pink rose for Rachel to wear in her hair. All four dancers had the same costume.
“Oh, it’s beautiful!” Kirsty breathed.
“I can’t wait to try it on,” said Rachel, holding the dress out in front of her.
Just then, a short man carrying a clipboard came into the room. He looked very worried. “Karen, Rachel, please go and change into your costumes right away,” he said, patting his forehead with a spotted handkerchief.
“I’m afraid we have all sorts of problems. Nobody’s costume fits properly, and the seamstress doesn’t think she’s going to have time to alter them all. We need to know if your costumes fit you.”
“Yes, Mr. Robinson,” said Rachel. Kirsty remembered Rachel telling her that he was the director of the show.
“Mr. Robinson!” a stagehand cried, rushing into the room. “Clarissa Murray’s mom just called. Clarissa has the chicken pox. She can’t dance in the show!”
“What?” Mr. Robinson groaned. “Oh, no!”
“How terrible!” Kirsty said. “Poor Clarissa.”
Mr. Robinson was pacing anxiously back and forth. “The dance won�
�t work with just three girls,” he muttered. “We need four. Oh, this is a disaster!”
Kirsty and Rachel glanced at each other. Kirsty knew that they were both thinking the same thing.
“Maybe I could take Clarissa’s place!” Kirsty suggested breathlessly.
Mr. Robinson turned in surprise. “And who are you, my dear?” he asked.
“Kirsty Tate,” replied Kirsty. “I’m Rachel’s friend, and I’m staying with her until Christmas Eve.”
“I can teach Kirsty the steps,” Rachel added quickly.
“And I’ll practice every single minute until the show!” said Kirsty.
“Well, that solves our problem!” Mr. Robinson said, looking delighted. “Thank you so much!” He glanced at Kirsty. “You look about the same size as Clarissa. Why don’t you try on her costume and see if it fits?” Then he hurried off.
“Isn’t this great?” Rachel said with a big smile. “Now you’re going to be in the show, too!”
Kirsty grinned. “I just hope I can learn the steps in time,” she said.
They found the dress labeled CLARISSA and Kirsty picked it up. The rose for her hair was there, too, but there was only one pink ballet shoe.
“Rachel, one of the shoes is missing,” she said with a frown.
“It must be somewhere around here,” Rachel replied. “Let’s look for it.”
The girls searched the room, but the ballet shoe was nowhere to be found. They went to tell Mr. Robinson about the problem.
The Rainbow Magic Holiday Collection Page 10