6. A Visit to Fairyland

A Visit to Fairyland "Of course we'll search for your sisters," Kirsty said quickly. "Won't we, Rachel?" Rachel nodded. "Oh, thank you!" Ruby said happily. "But we're only here for a week," Rachel said. "Will that be long enough?"

"We have to get started right away," said Ruby. "First, I must take you to Fairyland to meet our king and queen. They will be very pleased to know that you are going to help me find my sisters." Rachel and Kirsty stared at Ruby. "You're taking us to Fairyland?" Kirsty gasped. She could hardly believe her ears. "But how will we get there?" Rachel wanted to know. "We'll fly," Ruby replied. "But we can't fly!" Rachel pointed out. Ruby smiled. She whirled up into the air over the girls' heads. Then she swirled her wand above them. Magic red fairy dust fluttered down. Rachel and Kirsty began to feel a bit strange. Were the trees getting bigger or were they getting smaller? They were getting smaller!

Smaller and smaller and smaller, until they were the same size as Ruby. "I'm tiny!" Rachel laughed. She was so small, the flowers around her seemed as big as trees. Kirsty twisted around to look at her back. She had wings — shiny and delicate as a butterfly's!

Ruby beamed at them. "Now you can fly," she said. "Let's go." Rachel twitched her shoulders. Her wings fluttered, and she rose up into the air. She felt quite wobbly at first. Flying was not at all like walking! "Help!" Kirsty yelled, as she shot up into the air. "I'm not very good at this!"

"Come on," said Ruby, taking their hands. "I'll help you." She led them up out of the meadow. From the air, Rachel looked down on Rainspell Island. She could see the cottages next to the beach, and the harbor. "Where is Fairyland, Ruby?" Kirsty asked. They were flying higher and higher, up into the clouds. "It's so far away that no human could ever find it," Ruby said. They flew on through the clouds for a long, long time. But at last Ruby turned to them and smiled. "We're here," she said. "Luckily, while we're in Fairyland, no time passes in your world. No one will even know you were gone!"

As they flew down from the clouds, Kirsty and Rachel saw places they recognized from the pond picture: the palace, the hillsides with their toadstool houses, the river. But there were no bright colors now. Because of Jack Frost's spell, everything was a drab shade of gray. A few fairies walked miserably across the hillsides. Their wings hung limply down their backs. No one even had the energy to fly.