The girls dashed forward to try to keep the goblins from getting away. But two of them were already on board. Just as Rachel and Kirsty reached the water’s edge, the third goblin jumped onto the raft, too. It slid out of reach, and the goblins laughed as they floated away.
With one swift wave of Rosie’s wand, Rachel and Kirsty were fairies again.
“Let’s fly among the trees on the riverbank,” Rosie suggested. “Let them think that they left us behind.”
The girls zoomed along, darting between the trees and keeping level with the little raft. It was bobbing up and down on the fast-moving water.
Suddenly, Rachel gave a cry.
“Billy’s climbing out of the backpack!” she exclaimed.
The goblins hadn’t noticed that Billy was free. Just then, Rachel saw a fallen branch jutting out of the water.
“Oh, no!” she cried. “The raft’s heading straight toward that branch!”
The raft wobbled and then veered around the branch. The girls let out sighs of relief.
“That gives me an idea,” said Kirsty. “Remember that stone bridge farther downstream? We need to get there before the raft does!”
Rachel, Kirsty, and Rosie zoomed to the bridge as fast as they could. As they flew, Kirsty explained her plan.
“We just have to hope that Billy Bear really loves honey!” she said with a smile.
When they reached the bridge, Rosie turned the girls into humans again. Then she used her magic to bring the fallen branch from the river to the bridge. Rachel dug into her backpack and pulled out the honeycomb that Queenie had given them earlier.
“Rub the honey all over the branch,” said Kirsty. “Quickly!”
Rachel covered the branch in honey, and then the girls dangled it over the edge of the bridge, holding on to the top end.
“I hope Billy Bear sees it!” said Kirsty.
“Please let him be hungry for some honey!” Rachel added.
Their plan was ready—all it needed was for Billy to play his part!
Just then, the goblin raft floated around the bend in the river. It was bobbing along with Billy on the back, but the magic charm was no longer dangling from his paw.
“Where did my magic key chain go?” asked Rosie.
There was no time to find out the answer—the raft was about to pass under the bridge!
Billy noticed the honey dripping from the branch, and reached up to it. He began to lick the honey with his long tongue, and he started to climb the log.
“Yes, Billy!” called Rachel. “Good bear! Keep coming!”
She and Kirsty held on tight to the branch, taking on the weight of the bear. Below, the goblins squawked in dismay and clutched at the sides of the stone bridge, trying to slow the raft down.
“No, Billy!” shouted the goblin with the backpack. “Bad bear! Come back!”
“Billy!” called another goblin. “Look here, Billy!”
The goblin held up the magic key chain, which he knew would lure the cub back. Billy looked over and then started to slide back down the branch.
“No, come back!” Kirsty cried. “Billy!”
The little bear reached out one paw to get the key chain. The goblin jerked his hand backward, and sent the honey-bear charm flying into the river!
Rosie swooped down after the key chain, and the goblin jumped into the water with a loud belly flop. Rachel and Kirsty watched Rosie dive into the river, but they couldn’t do anything to help. Billy was climbing up the honey-covered branch again, and the girls needed all their strength to hold on to it.
It seemed to take forever before Billy’s little paws were in reach, but at last Rachel was able to grasp them and pull him up to safety. The girls gave him a big hug.
“We’re going to take you home to your mama,” Kirsty told him.
“What about Rosie?” asked Rachel, holding Billy while he finished the honey.
At that moment, Rosie flew up from the other side of the bridge. She shook off sparkling drops of river water and gave a whoop of triumph.
“I got it!” she cried happily.
Rachel and Kirsty grinned when they saw that she was holding her key chain. It had magically shrunk to fairy-size, and it was back where it belonged at last.
“We did it!” said Rosie, hovering next to the girls and Billy.
“What about the goblins?” Rachel asked.
They all leaned over the bridge and saw a dripping-wet goblin being hauled back onto the raft.
“You two are going to be in big trouble with Jack Frost. What will he say when we get back without the bear cub?” he snarled at the other goblins.
“You were the one who dropped the magic key chain!” snapped the second goblin.
“We’re all going to be locked up in the dungeon!” wailed the third goblin.
The raft floated away down the river, and the sound of the goblins’ bickering traveled across the water. The girls could hear it even after the raft disappeared from sight.
“Come on,” said Rosie. “Let’s get this little cub back to his mama.”
The girls hiked back the way they had come, up the winding path that led out of the valley. Rachel and Kirsty took turns carrying Billy, and Rosie dangled her charm in front of him to keep him happy.
They went back through the woods, and at last they reached the clearing where Mama Bear was still sitting on the rock.
When she saw her baby, Mama Bear’s eyes filled with happy tears. She lumbered over to him, scooped him into her arms, and hugged him tightly.
“I’ve missed you, little one,” she whispered in an amazingly gentle voice.
Billy gave her a snuffly kiss, and she pressed a honeycomb treat into his paw. Then she looked up at the girls.
“How can I ever thank you?” she asked.
“We’re just glad that Billy’s back where he belongs,” said Rachel.
The cub held out his arms toward her, and she let him give her a little bear hug. Kirsty got a hug, too. They were about to say good-bye when there was a loud buzzing noise. It was a huge swarm of bees. Between them, they were carrying two little walnut shells filled with honey.
One bee buzzed to the front of the swarm and the girls saw that it was the one they had met here earlier.
“Our beloved queen has sent you this gift,” he said. “As a thank you for finding our friend Billy, please accept this honey. It’s some of our very best!”
“Thank you very much,” said Rachel, taking one of the shells.
“Please give Queenie our love,” Kirsty added, taking the other shell.
While the bees gave them three cheers, Rosie waved her wand and transported the girls back to Wild Woods. Rachel let out a happy sigh and gazed around. Then her eyes fell on her wheelbarrow.
“Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed. “We haven’t finished planting the shrubs yet.”
“Let’s get to work,” said Kirsty.
The bees and butterflies were still flitting around the colorful flowers, and several more beautiful blue dragonflies had joined them. Rosie went to greet them, and had fun playing while Rachel and Kirsty finished planting their shrubs.
At last the work was done. The girls filled their watering cans from the clear stream and watered each plant. Then they sat down on the bank and rested.
“It’s beautiful here,” said Rosie, landing on Rachel’s knee. “It reminds me of the nature reserve in Fairyland. And these flowers smell wonderful.”
“The honey we make from the nectar will be absolutely delicious,” said a bee as he circled around Kirsty’s head. “I can’t wait!”
“Ooh, someone’s coming!” said a little white butterfly in a panic. “Hide, Rosie!”
With a good-bye wave, Rosie flew onto a blue flower and hid among the petals. Then the girls saw Becky striding toward them from the woods. She looked at the planting they had done and smiled.
“Excellent work, both of you,” she said. “These look perfect. You’ve definitely earned your badges today.”
From one of the big pockets in her cargo shorts, she drew out two flower-shaped badges. As she handed them to Rachel and Kirsty, a bee zoomed under her nose.
“The flowers are already attracting lots of insects,” she said.
“And a fairy, too,” said Rachel in a tiny whisper.
She and Kirsty looked over at the blue flower where Rosie was hiding and squeezed each other’s hands. They had really enjoyed their adventure with Rosie. But there was still one magic key chain to find. They hoped that they would meet Nora the Arctic Fox Fairy tomorrow!
Rachel and Kirsty found Mae, Kitty, Mara, Savannah, Kimberly, and Rosie’s missing magic key chains.
Now it’s time for them to help
Join their next adventure in this special sneak peek …
“Isn’t it a beautiful evening?” Rachel Walker remarked to her best friend, Kirsty Tate. They stared up at the night sky dotted with tiny, glittering stars. The evening air was warm and still, and above the trees the moon shone with a pale, silvery light.
“It’s a perfect way to end our week at Wild Woods,” Kirsty agreed. The girls had volunteered to spend part of their summer vacation at the nature reserve near Kirsty’s home, learning how to be junior rangers. Now it was their last day, and all the volunteers were waiting outside the wildlife center for Becky, the head of Wild Woods, to join them for a special evening.
“It’s really nice of Becky to take us on a moonlit walk,” Rachel said. “I hope we see lots of different animals.”
“Becky said it was a special treat because we’d all worked so hard,” Kirsty reminded her. “Even though we also have our badges as proof!”
Both girls gazed proudly at the pockets of their backpacks, which were covered with badges. Every time they’d completed their tasks successfully, Becky had given them a badge, and the girls had six so far.
There was a murmur of excitement as Becky hurried out of the wildlife center, carrying a bag of equipment.
“We have a wonderful evening for our walk,” Becky said. “But to make the most of it, you’ll all need one of these!” She took a flashlight out of the bag and turned it on. Rachel and Kirsty were surprised to see the flashlight glow red. “These flashlights have special red filters that allow you to see in the dark,” Becky went on, handing the flashlights out. “But they won’t disturb wildlife like a bright yellow beam would. So keep your eyes peeled for animals that only come out at night!”
“And we should keep our eyes peeled for fairies, too!” Kirsty whispered to Rachel excitedly.
Copyright © 2013 by Rainbow Magic Limited.
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, by arrangement with Rainbow Magic Limited.
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.
First Scholastic printing, January 2015
e-ISBN 978-0-545-72310-7
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Rosie the Honey Bear Fairy Page 2