6. Twilight Magic

Now that the three friends were out of danger, Goldie expertly waved the Sunshine Feather. The sun began to set, just like it was supposed to. The girls watched as the sky turned orange, pink, and a deep red. "Let's bring the Sunshine Feather back to Doodle," Kirsty said. "And then we'd better go to bed!" Rachel was yawning. "It's been another busy day, hasn't it?" She smiled. As the sun set, the warmth quickly faded away. The girls soon found themselves shivering in their thin shirts. Goldie fluttered above them with the Sunshine Feather, waving it gently. A few sunbeams flooded onto Rachel and Kirsty's bare arms to keep them warm.

It was almost dark by the time they all got back to Kirsty's garden. They could just barely see the silhouette of Doodle on top of the barn roof. Goldie flew up to give the rooster back his magic feather. As she did, Doodle came to life. His fiery feathers glowed brilliantly in the twilight. He turned to look at Rachel and Kirsty. "Will come—" he squawked urgently. But before he could say any more, the magic drained away. Doodle's colors faded and he became a rusty old weather vane again.

Every time the girls returned one of Doodle's feathers, the rooster came to life for a few seconds and squawked a word or two. Rachel frowned as she pieced together all the words that Doodle had said so far. "Beware! Jack Frost will come…" she murmured. An icy shiver shot down her spine, as if Jack Frost was already there. "I think it's a warning, Kirsty. Let's hope he doesn't come soon!" Goldie looked worried. "Take care of yourselves. And thank you for everything," she said. She blew them a stream of fairy kisses that sparkled in the darkening sky. "I must go back to Fairyland now. Good-bye!" Kirsty and Rachel watched Goldie fly away. Soon she was nothing more than a tiny golden speck in the distance. Then, just as the girls were about to get ready for bed, they heard footsteps. Mr. Tate came out of the house, looking around with a puzzled expression on his face. "Did I just hear a rooster crowing?" he asked.

"A rooster? At this time of day?" Kirsty replied innocently. Mr. Tate frowned. "I must be hearing things," he said, turning to go back inside. "Good night, girls. Sleep well." He glanced up at Doodle as he headed back toward the house. "I'm sure that weather vane had a smaller tail before," he muttered, then shook his head. "Now I'm seeing things, too! It's definitely time to call it a night…."

Kirsty and Rachel smiled at each other. "He's right!" Kirsty said. "Doodle does have four feathers now. We only have three more feathers to find. I wonder which one will be next!"