3. Stop, Thief!

"Quick, hide!" Hayley whispered. "We need to come up with a plan." Kirsty and Rachel looked around desperately. The goblin was coming closer and closer. There was nowhere to hide! "What about the trees?" Kirsty suggested. "If we turn into fairies, we can hide in the branches!" Rachel pulled out the magic locket that the Fairy Queen had given her to use in times of danger. Kirsty found hers, too, and both girls sprinkled themselves with glittering fairy dust.

Kirsty felt her shoulders tingle as delicate fairy wings grew there. She fluttered straight into the air, heading for the nearest branch. Rachel also felt herself shrinking. She zoomed upward on her sparkly wings and landed next to Kirsty. Just then, she spotted an empty bird's nest on a nearby branch. "Quick! In here!" she whispered. Kirsty and Hayley jumped in beside Rachel. The nest was lined with moss and fluffy feathers. It felt cozy and dry. "Great idea, Rachel. This is a perfect place to hide!" Hayley said, grinning. As soon as the girls were out of sight, the goblin floated beneath the tree in his umbrella boat. One of the ducks flapped its wings angrily, pulling at its rope. The umbrella wobbled in the water and almost tipped over.

"Hey! I almost fell out!" the goblin complained. "Stop trying to get away, you silly ducks. You've got my nice warm scarf for a rope. I'm the one who's freezing! Achoo!" His loud sneeze echoed through the park like a foghorn. Kirsty, Rachel, and Hayley quietly peeked out of the nest. They could see that the goblin was very thin, with enormous hands and feet. Rain poured from the brim of his battered hat and dripped onto his long, crooked nose.

The goblin shivered and sniffed. He rubbed the tip of his nose, which was all red and shiny. "It's not fair. I wanted to go after the Sunshine Feather, and instead I get stuck with this rotten old Rain Feather! I should be toasty warm, not as cold as yesterday's mud oatmeal and as soggy as a squashed worm! Achoo!"

"He has a really nasty cold," murmured Hayley. "Serves him right!" Kirsty said. Just then, the goblin lifted his hat and pulled out a beautiful copper-colored feather with silvery streaks. He jabbed it angrily into the air. "Just stop this rain, right now!" he muttered. The rain stopped at once, and the goblin grinned with triumph. "At least it follows directions," he grunted, stuffing the feather back under his hat.

"Oh, the poor Rain Feather!" whispered Hayley. Suddenly, the goblin's miserable face lit up with a grin. He had spotted the girls' raft. "Oh, goody, a real boat just for me!" he cried. Using his big hands as paddles, the goblin pulled up alongside the raft. Then he scrunched up his long legs, sprang straight in the air, and landed in the raft. "Nice duckies. Let's harness you to my new boat," he said. "That's it. All ready now. Off we go!"