Chapter 5

Chapter FIVE It was almost morning by the time we reached my house, but Mum, Dad, and Aunt Crystal had stayed up to wait for me. Mum jumped into the sleigh as soon as it landed and gave me a huge squeezy cuddle. 'How did it go?' she asked. 'Are you OK?'

'I'm fine!' I told her, squeezing back. 'It was wonderful!' 'Well done,' said Mum. 'You've done a great job!' 'It's time for a sleep now though, said Dad, looking at his watch. 'It's my bedtime too!' He lifted me up and carried me into the house and up to my bed. I fell asleep before my head even hit the pillow and I slept all through the morning and all through lunch. When I woke it was the afternoon. 'What a dream I had!' I said to Pink Rabbit. Then I rubbed my eyes and blinked and remembered that it hadn't been a dream at all. We had gone on an

adventure to the Land of Ice and Snow! When I got up and looked in the mirror there was a snowflake on my cheek in exactly the place where the Snow Queen had kissed me. 'It will fade over time,' said Aunt Crystal, when I showed it to her after bounding into the kitchen for a snack. 'But it's pretty while it lasts.'

'The snow is still there!' I said, looking out of the window at our white garden. 'Your magic fairy snow!' 'Not my fairy snow anymore,' said Aunt Crystal and pointed beyond the garden to the houses behind, which were now covered in snow too. I gazed up at the sky and saw huge white flakes spinning down towards us.

'It's snowing for real!' said Mum. 'It started while you were asleep.' I gobbled down a peanut-butter sandwich and then called Zoe, Sashi, Samantha, Dominic, Jasper, and Bruno. I hesitated for a moment and then called Oliver too. 'How was your party?' I asked him.

'Great, thanks,' said Oliver. 'I've saved you some cake and a balloon.' 'Really?' I said. 'That's so nice— thank you!' No problem, said Oliver. 'By the way, it's snowing! Do you want to come and play?' 'That's what I was going to ask you!' I said. Zoe was first to arrive and we ran out into the garden together, starting to roll balls to make snowmen. I secretly hoped, just a tiny bit, that they would come to life again like yesterday. But deep down I