Evie the Mist Fairy
Thanks to real fairies everywhere Special thanks to Sue Bentley If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Rainbow Magic Limited, c/o HIT Entertainment, 830 South Greenville Avenue, Allen, TX 75002-3320. ISBN-13: 978-0-439-81390-7 ISBN-10: 0-439-81390-5 Copyright 2004 by Rainbow Magic Limited. Illustrations copyright 2004 by Georgie Ripper. All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, by arrangement with Rainbow Magic Limited. SCHOLASTIC, LITTLE APPLE, 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. 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 9 10 11 12 13 14/0 Printed in the U.S.A.
A Misty Morning Wake up, sleepyhead! cried Kirsty Tate, as she jumped out of bed and started to get dressed. Her friend, Rachel Walker, was asleep in the extra bed in Kirsty s room. She was staying with Kirsty and her parents in Wetherbury. Sleepily, she rolled over and opened her eyes. I was dreaming 1
that we were back in Fairyland, she told Kirsty. The weather was mixed up sunny and snowing all at the same time and Doodle was trying to fix it. Doodle, the magic weather rooster, had been on Rachel s mind a lot lately, because she and Kirsty were on an important mission with the Weather Fairies! 2
Every day in Fairyland, the Weather Fairies used Doodle s magic tail feathers to make the weather. Each of the seven feathers controlled a different kind of weather, and each of the seven Weather Fairies was responsible for working with one specific feather. The system was perfect until mean Jack Frost sent his goblins to steal Doodle s magic feathers. The goblins took the feathers into the human world, and when poor Doodle followed them out of Fairyland, he found himself transformed into a rusty weather vane. Since Rachel and Kirsty had found the Rainbow Fairies together, the Queen of the Fairies had asked them to help find and return Doodle s magic feathers, also. 3
In the meantime, Fairyland s weather was all mixed up and the goblins had been using the feathers to cause trouble in the human world, too. Poor Doodle, Kirsty said, looking out the window at the weather vane on top of the old barn. Her dad had found Doodle lying in the park, and brought him home for their barn roof. Hopefully we ll find another magic feather today, Kirsty continued. We already have four of the stolen feathers. We just need to find the other three. Then Doodle will get his magic back! Yes, Rachel agreed, brightening at 4
the thought. But I have to go home in three days, so we don t have very long! As she gazed out at the blue sky, a wisp of silvery mist caught her eye. Look that cloud is shaped just like a feather! she said. Kirsty looked up, too. I can t see anything. Rachel looked again, but the wispy shape had disappeared. Maybe I imagined it, she said, sighing. The memory of the dream fizzed in her tummy like bubbles. It felt like a magical start to the day. Rachel loved sharing fairy adventures 5
with Kirsty. The girls had met on vacation in Rainspell Island with their parents. That was when they had first helped the fairies. That time, Jack Frost had cast a nasty spell to send the Rainbow Fairies away from Fairyland, and the girls had helped all seven of them get home safely. Now, Rachel and Kirsty hurried down to the kitchen. Mr. Tate was sitting at the table. He looked up and smiled at the girls. Good morning! Did you sleep well? Yes, thanks, Rachel replied. When she sat down, she saw a bright green flier on the kitchen table. It read: Grand 6
Fun Run, Green Wood Forest, Wetherbury. Everyone welcome. She looked at the date. That s today. Yes. My mom s running in it, said Kirsty. Most of the village will be racing. Why don t you two go and watch? suggested Mr. Tate. You could cheer Mom on. OK, Rachel and Kirsty agreed happily. Maybe we could look for goblins on the way, 7
thought Rachel. She felt excited, and a little bit nervous. Goblins were mean creatures, and Jack Frost had cast a spell to make them bigger than normal. Luckily, the laws in Fairyland say that nothing can be taller than the King and Queen s fairy castle, so the goblins couldn t get too big. But they were still almost as tall as Rachel and Kirsty s shoulders. Mr. Tate finished his cup of coffee and stood up. I m going to pick up Gran and take her to watch the race. We ll look for you there, he told the girls. OK, Dad. Bye! Kirsty said with a wave. Just then, Mrs. Tate hurried into the kitchen, wearing running shorts, a T-shirt, and sneakers. She smiled at Kirsty and 8
Rachel. Sorry, I can t stop, girls. It s almost race time! That s all right, Mom. We re right behind you, Kirsty said. We re coming to cheer you on, Rachel explained. See you at the woods, then! Mrs. Tate called cheerfully as she headed out the door. A few minutes later, Kirsty and Rachel left for Green Wood Forest, too. Let s take the path by the river, Kirsty suggested. It s a little longer, but it s much prettier. Oh, yes! Maybe we ll see some ducklings, Rachel agreed. 9
As the girls walked up Twisty Lane, sunlight poured through the dancing tree branches. Spots of light speckled the road like golden coins. Soon Rachel and Kirsty reached the river. It was very pretty down by the water, where buttercups dotted the grass and cows grazed happily. Rachel spotted little puffs of mist rising from the water. Look! Do you think that could be fairy mist? she asked.
I m not sure, Kirsty replied. There s usually mist near water, isn t there? Oh, yes, especially in the morning and at night, Rachel remembered. She felt a little disappointed, but brightened when she saw two swans gliding by. Dragonflies perched in the reeds beside the sparkling river. It s a perfect day! she said, smiling. Kirsty nodded. Up ahead, she could see the edge of the forest. Something was shimmering on one of the tree branches. It looked like a silvery scarf, sparkling softly in the sunlight. What s that? she asked Rachel. 11
Rachel went over to look. I don t know, but it s beautiful! she replied. It looks just like the tinsel that we use to decorate our Christmas tree. There s lots more of it on the other branches, too. Isn t it pretty? Kirsty touched a strand of the strange, silvery stuff. It stuck to her fingers for a moment before melting away. It feels cold! Kirsty shivered, rubbing her hands together. 12
Rachel leaned forward for a closer look. Tiny silvery lights shimmered in the fine, silky threads. This has to be fairy mist, she whispered excitedly. Kirsty s eyes lit up. I think you re right, she agreed. She looked toward a clump of tall oak trees. A wispy cloud of mist was floating gently down toward the trees from the sky. More fairy mist! Kirsty pointed out. Come on! 13