The Marshmallow Ghost

by Helen Perelman

  Welcome to ALADDIN QUIX!

  If you are looking for fast, fun-to-read stories with colorful characters, lots of kid-friendly humor, easy-to-follow action, entertaining story lines, and lively illustrations, then ALADDIN QUIX is for you!

  But wait, there’s more!

  If you’re also looking for stories with tables of contents; word lists; about-the-book questions; 64, 80, or 96 pages; short chapters; short paragraphs; and large fonts, then ALADDIN QUIX is definitely for you!

  ALADDIN QUIX: The next step between ready to reads and longer, more challenging chapter books, for readers five to eight years old.

  For my mom

  —H. P.

  Cast of Characters

  Princess Mini: Royal fairy princess of Candy Kingdom

  Princess Taffy: Princess Mini’s best friend

  Prince Frosting: One of Princess Mini’s cousins from Cake Kingdom

  Princess Cupcake: Prince Frosting’s twin

  Gobo: Troll living in Sugar Valley

  Princess Lolli: Princess Mini’s mother and ruling fairy princess of Candy Kingdom

  Prince Scoop: Princess Mini’s father

  Chipper: Princess Taffy’s royal unicorn

  Beanie: Royal chef

  1

  Dragon’s Day

  I, Princess Mini, was one very happy princess. School was over for the day, and the next day was Dragon’s Day. Dragon’s Day was a holiday in Candy Kingdom to honor the dragons that lived in Sugar Valley. There was no school or work for Candy Fairies. I had big plans.

  I was planning my first royal sleepover.

  My best friend, Princess Taffy, was coming. She had been to Candy Castle many times. This would be our first sleepover. We’d already started to make a schedule of things to do. We were going to have the best time.

  I also asked my cousin Prince Frosting to come. Prince Frosting and his twin, Princess Cupcake, were my first cousins. They lived in Cake Kingdom.

  My parents told me I had to invite Cupcake, too. She was not as sweet as her name sounds. Fortunately, she had other plans for the night.

  Gobo, my newest friend, was a troll who lived in Chocolate Woods.

  For a while, he was my secret friend. Candy Fairies and trolls aren’t always friends in Sugar Valley. Now things were different.

  I was on my way to Chocolate Woods with Taffy and Frosting. Our plan was to ask Gobo to join us at the sleepover.

  When we landed in the woods, Gobo was there to greet us.

  “Hello!” he called. He was holding a large basket of chocolate bark. I love chocolate bark!

  “Hi, Gobo,” I said. “This looks choc-o-rific!”

  Frosting reached in the basket and took a piece. “And they taste good too!” he said, chewing. Then Frosting reached for another piece.

  Taffy spread out a blanket on the chocolate sand, and we sat down to have a snack.

  “Tomorrow is Dragon’s Day,” I told Gobo. “We have the day off from school.”

  “Sweet!” Gobo said.

  “I’m having a sleepover,” I said. “Do you want to come? Taffy and Frosting will be there too.”

  “We are going to have so much fun,” Taffy added.

  “A sleepover at Candy Castle?” Gobo asked.

  “Yes,” Frosting said.

  I could see that Gobo was thinking hard. Didn’t he want to come?

  “Well . . . ,” Gobo said. He slowly stood up and walked away.

  I looked at Taffy and Frosting. Why was Gobo walking away?

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. I followed him to the sandy edge of Chocolate River. “I thought you would want to join us.”

  Taffy and Frosting flew over to us. We stood looking at the milky Chocolate River rushing by.

  “This is my first sleepover,” Taffy said softly. “I am a little nervous. Are you?”

  Gobo turned to Taffy. “Are you scared of the Marshmallow Ghost?” he asked.

  Taffy raised her eyebrows high. “Who is the Marshmallow Ghost?” she asked.

  Frosting clapped his hands and said, “I’ve never heard of him, but he sounds absolutely delicious!”

  I rolled my eyes. “There are no ghosts at the castle,” I said. “I live there. I should know.”

  Gobo shifted his feet and looked down. “Well . . . there are stories about a ghost in the tower.”

  Taffy’s dark eyes widened. “Um, didn’t you say we were going to sleep in the throne room in the tower?” she asked.

  “Yes,” I said. “The throne room is perfect for a sleepover.”

  “And perfect for a ghost to visit,” Taffy whispered.

  “The tower is not haunted,” I said.

  “We’ll have fun, Gobo,” Frosting said. He stared at Taffy. “Ghosts or no ghosts.”

  Frosting took another bite of chocolate bark. “I have been to Candy Castle plenty of times, and I have never seen a ghost,” he added.

  I smiled at Frosting. He could be very nice sometimes.

  “Sleepovers are full of gooey treats, games, spooky stories, and laughs,” I said.

  Gobo shrugged. “That does sound like fun,” he said.

  I flew straight up in the air. “So you will come?” I asked.

  “I’ll be there,” Gobo said. He smiled at me.

  “Sugar-tastic!” I cheered. “The four of us will have a super-sweet time.”

  “Let’s just hope there isn’t room for one more,” Taffy said. “I don’t want to meet a ghost in the middle of the night.”

  I looked at Taffy.

  Candy Castle wasn’t really haunted . . . was it? Nothing would spoil a royal sleepover more than a ghost.

  2

  Big Plans

  When I got home after being with my friends at Chocolate River, I found my parents in the royal parlor in Candy Castle. They were both reading books.

  “Gobo is coming to my sleepover!” I announced as I flew into the room.

  “I am so glad,” my mother said. She was Princess Lolli, the ruling fairy princess of Candy Kingdom. She really liked Gobo.

  “What are the big plans?” my father asked. He was Prince Scoop. He put his book down on his lap.

  I took out a list from my bag, and said, “We are going to play games, eat sweets, tell spooky stories . . .” I paused. “And stay up all night!”

  “Well, I am not sure about the staying up all night part,” my mom said, smiling.

  “Have you ever heard of the Marshmallow Ghost?” I asked. “Gobo said he heard stories about a ghost in the castle tower.”

  “No,” my dad said. “But I do like marshmallows.” He licked his lips and laughed.

  “Not funny,” I said. “Taffy is worried. I don’t want anyone to be scared at the sleepover.”

  “I don’t think you should worry,” my dad said.

  “You are going to have a sweet-tacular time with your friends,” my mom added.

  I hoped my parents were right.

  “I am going to look for my friends,” I said. “They should be here soon.”

  I flew to the top of the royal tower. I searched the skies. Finally, I saw Chipper, Taffy’s unicorn.

  Taffy and Gobo were on Chipper’s back. I waved and flew down to the gardens where Chipper landed. Frosting arrived at the same time. Now the party could start!

  I took my friends inside the tower and showed them the throne room. The room was round and wide. We spread out our sleeping bags.

  “This place doesn’t look haunted,” Frosting said. The large room was full of brightly colored tapestries and rugs made of soft cotton candy.

  “Wait until later,” Taffy muttered.

  We went out into the Grand Hall. Frosting and Gobo raced ahead.
Taffy pulled me aside.

  “I love stories. I love books,” Taffy said. “I am not a fan of spooky stories.”

  “They are just stories,” I replied. “It’s fun!”

  “I don’t think it is so fun,” she said.

  Taffy looked over at Gobo and Frosting. She lowered her voice. “What will they say about Bunny?”

  Taffy had a stuffed blue bunny with floppy ears. She had to sleep with her. I could tell she was nervous to show Frosting and Gobo her bunny.

  “I don’t think they will say anything,” I told her. “I am going to sleep with Lick, my stuffed unicorn.”

  “But Lick is so small,” Taffy said. “You can hide him in your sleeping bag and no one will see. Bunny is big. They will definitely see her.”

  She was right, but I didn’t think it would be a big deal. “Come on,” I said. I wanted to change the subject. “Let’s go join their game.”

  Frosting and Gobo were racing around the large licorice statues in the Grand Hall. My friends were giggling and having fun.

  I hoped the rest of the night would be the same.

  3

  Chocolate Flowers

  My friends and I returned to the throne room. Gobo ran the fastest and was the first one back.

  “This is fun,” Gobo said. He stopped and took some deep breaths. “Do these tell a story?” He pointed to the large tapestries hanging on the walls.

  “Yes,” I said. “These tell the history of Sugar Valley. They are art, but also a history lesson.”

  “There is a troll!” Gobo said, pointing.

  On one of the first wall hangings, there was a small troll.

  “He looks like you!” Taffy said. “Maybe he is a royal relative!”

  We giggled and sat down on our sleeping bags.

  “I have never slept out of Chocolate Woods,” Gobo said.

  “I am really happy you are here,” I told Gobo.

  “We all are!” Taffy exclaimed.

  “Let’s go visit Beanie,” I said. I turned to Gobo. “She’s the royal chef.”

  “And she always has a sweet treat ready,” Frosting added.

  “That sounds like someone I want to meet!” Gobo said.

  We walked down the stairs to the royal kitchen. It smelled choc-o-rific, and Gobo smiled from ear to ear.

  “Yum!” he said. “What’s that delicious treat?”

  We found Beanie in front of a marble table in the kitchen. She was molding tiny chocolate flowers and placing them on a large, round chocolate cake.

  “Princess Mini!” she exclaimed. “This chocolate cake was supposed to be a surprise tonight.”

  “That’s okay, Beanie,” I said. “It looks scrumptious!”

  My friends and I sat around the table.

  “Would you like to help?” Beanie asked. She gave us each a piece of chocolate and showed us how to roll the pieces into tiny flowers.

  Taffy placed her flower on the cake and then turned to Beanie and asked, “Have you heard of the Marshmallow Ghost in the tower?”

  “No,” Beanie said. “And I have been the cook here for a long, long time.”

  I nibbled on a piece of chocolate from the table. “We are going to tell spooky stories later,” I said.

  Frosting picked up his chocolate flower and was about to put it in his mouth.

  “Hold on!” Beanie said, stopping Frosting. “Don’t eat the decorations yet.” She took Frosting’s flower.

  “I wish I were a ghost,” Frosting said. “Then I could be invisible, and you wouldn’t know I took the chocolate!”

  Beanie laughed. “I would catch you,” she said.

  “Not if you couldn’t see me,” Frosting said. “Or if I were super fast!” He quickly took one of the chocolate flowers and popped it in his mouth. “And like a ghost, I will be gone!”

  Frosting flew out of the kitchen before Beanie could scold him.

  “Thank you, Beanie!” I called as we followed Frosting.

  “Don’t stay up too late!” Beanie said. “And be careful!”

  “Oh, why did she say that?” Taffy asked with a worried look. “There must be ghosts around here,” she whispered.

  I looked down the long hallway back to the tower. I hoped she was wrong!

  4

  Sweet Snacks

  The sky was dark, and the moon and stars were shining. My parents flew into the throne room.

  “Good evening!” my dad called.

  “Good evening, Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop,” Taffy, Gobo, and Frosting said at the same time.

  “This looks very cozy,” my mom said, looking around.

  We had rolled out our sleeping bags and put extra blankets and pillows around. I smiled. So far, my sleepover was a royal success.

  My parents were holding large trays. I flew over to see what they had brought us.

  “Sugar-tastic!” I said when I saw the treats. There was Beanie’s chocolate cake and a tray of candy jewels.

  “Beanie is choc-o-rific!” Frosting said. He hovered over the trays, licking his lips.

  “She wanted to make sweet treats for you,” my mom said. “Here, taste one.”

  She lowered the tray so Gobo could take one of the chocolates decorated with colored sugar crystals.

  “This is the prettiest candy I have ever seen,” Gobo said. He held up the chocolate and admired the treat.

  “And it will be the tastiest,” Taffy told him. “Beanie is a chocolate artist!”

  “Ooooooh,” Gobo said after he took a bite. “This is royally good!”

  Frosting nodded his head enthusiastically. “Best looking candy and best tasting!” He popped the whole candy in his mouth. Then he took a piece of cake and sat down to eat.

  I looked at my list. “After our nighttime snack, we are going to tell spooky stories,” I said.

  “Spooky stories?” Taffy asked. Her eyes were wide and her eyebrows high. “I thought we weren’t going to do that.”

  “Are you going to tell us about the Marshmallow Ghost?” Gobo asked my dad.

  “No,” my dad said. “I don’t know about any Marshmallow Ghost.”

  My mom looked right at Taffy. “There is no Marshmallow Ghost here,” she said. Then she turned to Gobo. “Spooky stories are supposed to be for fun scares.”

  “Let’s make up a spooky story about a ghost,” Frosting said. “A ghost that eats treats like these!” He reached over to my dad’s tray and took another piece of chocolate cake.

  I looked at Taffy and Gobo. I didn’t think they were so happy about that idea.

  “Good spooky stories are meant to make you laugh,” my dad said.

  “Just like the ghost jokes,” I said. “Do you know about the Chocolate Ghost?”

  “Th-there is a Chocolate Ghost?” Taffy stammered.

  “Yes,” I said. “He made cookies and I scream!”

  Gobo giggled. “Good one, Mini!”

  “What kind of mistakes do ghosts make?” Frosting asked. He started laughing before we could answer. “Boo-boos!!!” he answered, slapping his knee.

  I saw Taffy and Gobo laugh.

  I loved that my friends were laughing.

  “All right, no ghosts here!” my dad said.

  “Yes, spooky tales should be fun, not frightening,” my mother said. She blew a kiss. “You are safe. Don’t stay up too late.”

  My parents flew out of the room.

  I looked at Taffy. I hoped this made her feel better. “You see?” I said.

  “Parents always say things like that,” Taffy muttered. She reached out to touch Bunny’s floppy ears. Then she grabbed the ears and stuffed him into her sleeping bag.

  “Maybe we should stargaze?” I suggested.

  “Fun!” Gobo exclaimed. He dashed out onto the terrace.

  “There could be ghosts out here, too,” Frosting said.

  I shot Frosting a look.

  Gobo scurried back inside the room.

  “What?” Frosting asked. “I’m just saying that there migh
t be ghosts here.”

  Taffy crawled into her sleeping bag. “I am going to stay here,” she said. “You can go if you want.”

  Gobo slipped into his sleeping bag. “I will stay with you,” he said.

  Frosting shrugged. “I guess we’ll all stay here,” he said. “At least there is chocolate.”

  5

  Night Noises

  The throne room was dark and quiet.

  “Is anyone else up?” Frosting whispered.

  “I am,” I said.

  “Me too,” Gobo said.

  “I’m up. Who can sleep with everyone talking?” Taffy asked.

  Frosting snapped on his mint glow stick. He held up the light, and I saw Taffy push Bunny down in her sleeping bag.

  “What is that?” Frosting asked.

  Taffy sat up. “What?”

  “What is that blue fur?” Frosting said, moving closer.

  Taffy’s eyes started to tear up. She didn’t want anyone to know about Bunny.

  “It looks like this,” Gobo said. He pulled out a stuffed dragon with a colorful tail.

  “You sleep with him?” Taffy asked.

  “Every night,” Gobo said. “This is Dee Dee. I have had him since I was a baby.”

  Frosting sat up. I wasn’t sure what he was going to say. Frosting has a sour side and could be mean. I glared at him.

  But he did something I didn’t expect. He pulled out a stuffed bear from his sleeping bag!

  “You have a stuffed bear you sleep with?” Taffy asked.

  “Yes,” Frosting said. “This is Boo!”

  “We all have one!” I said, laughing. I showed my friends Lick.

  “We all have a sleepy friend,” Taffy said, smiling. She turned to me. “I guess that was something I didn’t have to worry about.”

  Clang! Clang! Clang!

  “W-w-what was that?” Taffy asked. She hugged Bunny tightly. “Now that is something to worry about.”

  We all froze and looked around the room. No one said a word.