2. The Magic Feather

The Magic Feather Very carefully, Rachel picked up the shell. It felt warm and smooth. The humming stopped at once. "I should not be scared," said the tiny voice. "I just have to be brave, and help will come very soon." Kirsty put her face close to the shell. "Hello," she whispered. "Is there a fairy in there?"

"Yes!" cried the voice. "I'm Amber the Orange Fairy! Can you get me out of here?" "Of course we will," Kirsty promised. "My name is Kirsty, and my friend Rachel is here, too." She looked up at Rachel, her eyes shining. "We've found another Rainbow Fairy!" "Quick," Rachel said. "Let's get the shell open." She took hold of the scallop shell and tried to pull the two halves apart. Nothing happened.

"Try again," said Kirsty. She and Rachel each grabbed one half of the shell and tugged. But the shell stayed tightly shut. "What's happening?" Amber asked. She sounded worried. "We can't open the shell," Kirsty said. "But we'll think of something." She turned to Rachel. "If we find a piece of driftwood, maybe we can use it to pry open the shell."

Rachel glanced around the beach. "I don't see any driftwood," she said. "We could try tapping the shell on a rock." "But that might hurt Amber," Kirsty pointed out. Suddenly, Rachel remembered something. "What about the magic bags the Fairy Queen gave us?" she said. "Of course!" Kirsty cried. She put her face close to the shell again. "Amber, we're going to look in our magic bags," she said.

"OK, but please hurry," Amber called. Rachel opened her beach bag. The two magic bags were hidden under her towel. One of the bags was glowing with a golden light. Carefully, Rachel pulled it out. "Look," she whispered to Kirsty. "This one is all lit up." "Open it, quick," Kirsty whispered back. As Rachel untied the bag, a fountain of glittering sparks flew out. "What's inside?" Kirsty asked, gently putting down the shell. Rachel slid her hand into the bag. She could feel something light and soft. She pulled it out, scattering sparkles everywhere. It was a shimmering golden feather.

Kirsty and Rachel stared at the feather. "It's really pretty," said Kirsty. "But what are we going to do with it?" "I don't know," Rachel replied. She tried to use the feather to push the two halves of the shell apart. But the feather just curled up in her hand. "Maybe we should ask Amber."