1. The Secret Garden

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The Secret Garden "Oh!" Rachel Walker gasped in delight as she looked around her. "What a perfect place for a picnic!" "It's a secret garden," Kirsty Tate said, her eyes shining. The two girls were standing in a large garden. It looked as if nobody else had been there for a long, long time. Pink and white roses grew all around the tree trunks, filling the air with their sweet smell. White marble statues stood

here and there, half hidden by green ivy. And right in the middle of the garden was a crumbling stone tower. "There was a castle here once called Moonspinner Castle," Mr. Walker said, walking up behind them. He was reading from his guidebook. "But now all that's left is the tower." Rachel and Kirsty stared up at the ruined tower. The yellow stones glowed warmly in the sunshine. They were spotted with soft, green moss. Near the top of the tower was a small, square window.

"It's just like Rapunzel's tower," Kirsty said. "I wonder if we can get up to the top somehow?" "Let's go see!" Rachel said eagerly. "I want to explore the whole garden. Can we, Mom?" "Go ahead." Mrs. Walker smiled. "Your dad and I will get the food ready." She opened the picnic basket. "But don't be too long, girls."

Rachel and Kirsty rushed over to the door in the side of the tower. Kirsty tugged at the heavy iron handle. But the door was locked. Rachel was disappointed. "Oh, that's too bad," she said. Kirsty sighed. "Yes, I was hoping Fern the Green Fairy might be here." Rachel and Kirsty had a secret. During their vacation on Rainspell Island, they were helping to find the seven Rainbow Fairies. The fairies had been sent out of Fairyland by evil Jack Frost, and Fairyland had lost all its color without them. Fairyland would only be bright and beautiful when all seven fairies returned home again. "Fern," Rachel called in a low voice. "Are you here?" Here . . . Here . . . Here . . .

Her words echoed off the stones. Rachel and Kirsty held their breath and waited. But they couldn't hear anything except leaves rustling in the breeze. "This is such a special place," Kirsty said. "It feels like there's magic close by." Then she gasped and pointed. "Rachel, look at the ivy!" Rachel stared. Glossy green leaves grew thickly on the wall, but in one place the stones were bare, in the shape of a perfect circle.