4. The Grouchy Goblin

Kirsty and Rachel spun around. A tiny fairy with crystal-colored wings was sliding down the gutter pipe. She wore a soft blue dress with fluffy white edging. Her wand was tipped with silver, and her hair was in pigtails. "Look! It's Crystal the Snow Fairy!" Kirsty gasped. The girls rushed over to her. "Hello again!" Crystal called. She looked excited. Tiny, sparkling snowflakes fizzed from the tip of her wand. "Look at all this snow," Rachel said.

"We think your feather is close by." "So do I," agreed Crystal. "I can't wait to find it! But there must be a goblin nearby, too.…" She shivered, and her wings drooped. "We have to be careful." "We're going to Willow Hill," Kirsty explained. "We think the feather may be over there." Crystal fluttered down and landed on Rachel's shoulder. "Let's go!" she cried. They headed out of the Tates' garden and walked up Twisty Lane onto High Street. There were lots of people around, so Crystal hid inside a fold of Rachel's scarf.

Crowds of children were playing in the park, throwing snowballs and building snowmen. They were having fun, but the snow was causing lots of problems, too. The girls passed a few cars that were stuck in snowdrifts. There were other cars that had broken down. A broken pipe at the post office had flooded the road, and some of the shops were closed. "How much farther is Willow Hill?" Rachel panted. It was hard work,

tramping through the deep snow. Kirsty pointed up ahead of them. "There it is," she replied breathlessly. Rachel's heart sank. The snow-covered hill looked very high. As they trudged out of the village, the snow seemed to be getting deeper, too. It was almost up to the top of Rachel's boots. "I have an idea," Kirsty said suddenly, as her feet sank into a snowdrift. "Why don't we use some of our fairy dust? Then we can fly the rest of the way!" Crystal popped her head out of Rachel's scarf. "Good idea!" she said. Kirsty and Rachel opened their lockets. They each took a pinch of fairy dust and sprinkled it over themselves. Immediately, they began to shrink, and wings grew from their shoulders.

"Come on." Crystal took their hands. "Let's fly to the top of the hill. I can see a house up there." "That's Willow Cottage," explained Kirsty. "It's Mrs. Fordham's house." Crystal and the girls flew to the top of the hill, dodging the falling snowflakes, which seemed as big as dinner plates to Rachel and Kirsty.

As they got closer to the cottage, Kirsty spotted smoke coming from the chimney. "That's funny!" she said with a frown. "Mrs. Fordham lives by herself, and she's at our house. So who started the fire?" "Let's look inside," suggested Crystal. The three girls swooped down and hovered outside a frosty window. Crystal waved her wand to melt some of the frost, making a small peephole. They peered inside.