3. A Stranger in the Pot

A Stranger in the Pot "I'm free!" Amber cried joyfully. She shot out of the shell and up into the air, her wings fluttering in a rainbow-colored blur. Orange fairy dust floated down around Kirsty and Rachel. It turned into orange bubbles as it fell. One of the bubbles landed on Rachel's arm and burst with a tiny pop! "The bubbles smell like oranges!" Rachel said with a smile.

Amber spun through the sky, turning cartwheels one after the other. "Thank you!" she called. Then she swooped down toward Rachel and Kirsty. She wore a shiny orange leotard and tall boots. Her brown hair was held in a high ponytail, tied with a band of peach blossoms. In her hand was an orange wand tipped with gold. "I'm so glad you found me!" Amber shouted. She landed on Rachel's shoulder, then cartwheeled lightly across to Kirsty's. "But who are you? And where are my Rainbow sisters? And what's happening in Fairyland? How am I going to get back there?" She was talking so fast that Kirsty and Rachel couldn't get a word in. Suddenly, Amber stopped. She floated down and landed softly on Rachel's hand. "I'm sorry," she said with a smile. "But I haven't had anyone to talk to. I've been trapped in that shell ever since Jack Frost's spell banished us from Fairyland. How did you know where to find me?"

"Kirsty and I promised your sister Ruby that we would look for all the Rainbow Fairies," Rachel told her. "Ruby?" Amber's face lit up. She spun around on Rachel's hand. "You've found Ruby?" "Yes, she's safe now," Rachel said. "She's in the pot at the end of the rainbow." Amber did a happy backflip. "Please take me to her!" she begged. "I'll ask our parents if we can go for a walk," Kirsty said. And she ran off across the beach. "Do you know what's happening in Fairyland?" Amber asked Rachel.

Rachel nodded. She and Kirsty had flown to Fairyland with Ruby. Ruby had used her wand to shrink them to fairy size, and she had given them magical fairy wings. "King Oberon and Queen Titania miss you very much," Rachel told Amber. "With no color, Fairyland is a sad place."

Amber's wings drooped. Kirsty was hurrying back toward them. "Mom said we can go for a walk," she panted. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Amber called. She flew up and did a somersault in midair. Rachel pulled their shorts, T-shirts, and sneakers out of her beach bag and both girls put them on. "Rachel, could you bring my shell?" Amber asked. Rachel looked surprised. "Yes, if you want," she said. Amber nodded. "It's really comfy," she explained. "It will make a lovely bed for me and my sisters." Rachel put the shell in her beach bag, and they set off, with Amber sitting cross-legged on Kirsty's shoulder.

"My wings are a bit stiff after being in the shell for so long," she told them. "I don't think I can fly very far yet." The girls followed the path to the clearing in the woods where the pot at the end of the rainbow was hidden.