Bubble Gum Rescue Read online

  READ ALL THE CANDY FAIRIES BOOKS!

  Chocolate Dreams

  Rainbow Swirl

  Caramel Moon

  Cool Mint

  Magic Hearts

  Gooey Goblins

  The Sugar Ball

  A Valentine’s Surprise

  COMING SOON:

  Double Dip

  Jelly Bean Jumble

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Aladdin paperback edition July 2012

  Text copyright © 2012 by Helen Perelman

  Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Erica-Jane Waters

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  ALADDIN is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and related logo is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Designed by Karina Granda

  The text of this book was set in Berthold Baskerville Book.

  Library of Congress Control Number 2011934219

  ISBN 978-1-4424-2217-9

  ISBN 978-1-4424-2218-6 (eBook)

  For Elle Dean Brown,

  a choc-o-rific reader at P. S. 6 in NYC

  Contents

  CHAPTER 1: A Sticky Mess

  CHAPTER 2: Butterscotch Volcano

  CHAPTER 3: Big Burst

  CHAPTER 4: Chocolate Aid

  CHAPTER 5: Think Big

  CHAPTER 6: A Sugar-tastic Idea

  CHAPTER 7: Supersweet

  CHAPTER 8: A Sticky Plan

  CHAPTER 9: Pink and Positive

  CHAPTER 10: Bubbles of Happiness

  Early in the morning, Melli the Caramel Fairy flew to the top of Caramel Hills. She was checking on the caramel chocolate rolls she had made with her Chocolate Fairy friend Cocoa. Melli smiled at their newest creation drying in the cool shade of a caramel tree. Yesterday the two fairies had worked hard rolling small logs of caramel and then dipping them in chocolate. The final touch was a drizzle of butterscotch on top. Melli couldn’t wait to taste one!

  A caramel turtle jutted his head out of his shell and smelled the fresh candy. Melli laughed. “You were hiding over by that log,” she said to the turtle. She kneeled down next to him. “Did you think you’d snatch a candy without my noticing?”

  The turtle quickly slipped his head back into his shell. Still as a rock, he waited to see what the Caramel Fairy would do.

  Melli placed one of the candies in front of him. “Of course you may have one,” she said sweetly. “There’s enough to share.”

  The turtle stuck his head out again and gobbled it up.

  “Do you like the candy?” Melli asked.

  The turtle nodded, and Melli smiled. “Cocoa and I are going to bring these to Sun Dip this evening,” she said.

  Sun Dip was the time at the end of the day when the sun set behind the Frosted Mountains and the Candy Fairies relaxed. Melli loved visiting with her friends and catching up on everyone’s activities. And today she and Cocoa would bring their new candy. She hoped her friends would enjoy the sweet treat.

  Just as Melli was putting the candies in her basket, she heard a squeal. It sounded like an animal in trouble. She put the basket down and walked toward the sound.

  “Hot caramel!” Melli cried as she peered around one of the caramel trees.

  Lying on the ground was a small caramella bird. He was trying to flap his wings to fly, but they were barely moving. Melli leaned in closer and noticed that the bird’s feathers were wet and stuck together.

  Melli reached out to the bird. “You poor thing,” she whispered. She tried to calm the little one by talking to him. Caramella birds lived in the valley of Caramel Hills and had bright yellow wing feathers. They lived off the seeds of the caramel trees and filled the hills with their soft chirps.

  “Where have you been playing?” Melli asked sweetly. She carefully picked up the bird and gently stroked his head. Immediately she realized that his feathers were covered in thick butterscotch. “How did you get coated in this syrup?” she asked. “No wonder you can’t move or fly.”

  The bird chirped loudly. It was shaking in her hands.

  “Butterscotch is not the best thing for feathers,” Melli said, smiling at the tiny caramella. “Don’t worry, sweetie,” she added softly. “Let’s give you a good bath and get this mess off your wings. I know all about sticky caramel.” She patted the bird’s head gently. “I will get you cleaned up in no time. Let’s go to the water well and rinse you off.”

  Melli held on to the bird and flew to the edge of Caramel Hills. The tiny creature seemed to relax in Melli’s hands, but his heart was still pounding. At the well Melli began to wash the butterscotch off the bird’s wings. She knew she’d have to spend some time scrubbing. She had gotten caramel on her clothes before, and it often took a while to get all the goo off.

  After a few rinses Melli began to see his brightly colored feathers.

  “There, that does it,” she said, feeling satisfied. She stood back and looked at the little bird. “You do have gorgeous yellow wings!”

  The bird shook the water off his wings. He was happy to be able to move them freely. He bowed his head to Melli, thanking her for helping him.

  “You should be able to fly now,” Melli said. “Be careful, and stay away from the sticky stuff!”

  “Hi, Melli!” Cocoa appeared next to her. “What are you doing here?”

  “Cocoa,” Melli gasped. “You scared me! I didn’t see you there.” She pointed to the caramella bird. “Look who I found. He was covered in butterscotch, and his wings were stuck together. I just gave him a bath with the fresh well water.”

  Cocoa’s wings fluttered. “Oh, bittersweet chocolate,” she said sadly. “This is worse than I thought.”

  “What are you talking about?” Melli asked. “He’s all clean now. He’ll be able to fly.”

  “It’s not only this bird I am worried about,” Cocoa said. “I heard from a sugar fly that there was a butterscotch syrup spill on the eastern side of Butterscotch Volcano. That must be where this one got syrup on his wings. All the caramella birds are in danger!”

  “Oh no,” Melli said. “So many caramella birds live over there. What else did the sugar fly tell you?”

  “That was all,” Cocoa replied.

  Sugar flies passed information around Sugar Valley. If a fairy wanted to get the word out about something important, the sugar flies were the ones to spread the news.

  “Let’s go now,” Melli said urgently. “If Butterscotch Volcano erupts, there’ll be a large spill in the hills.” She looked down at the bird. “Is that what happened to you? Will you take us to where you got butterscotch on your wings?”

  The bird took flight, and Melli and Cocoa trailed after him. His yellow feathers gleamed in the sunlight. Melli beat her wings faster. She was very concerned about what kind of sticky mess they were going to find.

  Melli grabbed Cocoa’s hand. She couldn’t believe the sight below her. Butterscotch Volcano was in the middle of Caramel Hills, and a place where Caramel Fairies often gathered. Once a year at the Butterscotch Festival, a
few brave and experienced Caramel Fairies would dip into the volcano for a supply of hot butterscotch. The extra-sweet syrup was then stored in large barrels in Candy Castle and used throughout the year for special candy projects.

  Melli’s eyes widened as she saw the thick syrup pooled in the large area east of the volcano. The land was flat, and the caramella birds built their nests there. Now it was a lake of syrupy butterscotch. Melli shook her head in disbelief. Never before had she seen butterscotch ooze out of the volcano. While there was hot butterscotch syrup deep within the volcano, there had not been an eruption in a long, long time.

  As Melli flew over the volcano with Cocoa she squeezed her friend’s hand tighter. “No wonder that little bird got his feathers sticky,” Melli said. She pointed down below—butterscotch was everywhere!

  “The sugar flies were definitely right about this,” Cocoa said. “This is a supersticky mess.”

  “Did you send the sugar fly to Raina, Berry, and Dash?” Melli asked. If things were this bad, she wanted all her friends to know. Together, the five of them could work to help the caramella birds of Caramel Hills.

  Cocoa nodded. “Yes, I sent them each a message,” she replied. “I hope they can get here fast.”

  Melli carefully observed the area. “Look, Cocoa, the butterscotch isn’t coming from the top of the volcano,” she said. She pointed to the top, which was clean and dry. “Where do you think it’s coming from?”

  Cocoa squinted and then flapped her golden wings. “Let’s get a better look,” she said bravely.

  The two friends flew down closer to the volcano. The sight broke Melli’s heart.

  “The poor birds,” Melli said softly. “This is their home, and now it’s a sticky, syrupy mess.”

  “They can’t even move,” Cocoa added. She saw many birds trying to flap their butterscotch-coated wings.

  As Melli looked around she suddenly spotted her sister, Cara, perched on a caramel tree. “There’s Cara,” she said. “Maybe she knows what’s going on.”

  Cara was rubbing a small bird’s feathers with a sponge. She was dipping the sponge in a pail of water when Melli and Cocoa landed next to her.

  “Oh, Melli!” Cara exclaimed. “I’m so happy you came! We need all the help we can get. This spill is spreading fast.”

  “How did this happen?” Melli asked. She knelt down next to her sister.

  “The volcano cracked, and there’s a leak on its side,” Cara explained. “I heard the older Caramel Fairies talking.”

  “Bittersweet,” Cocoa muttered.

  “All this butterscotch is oozing out of the volcano?” Melli gasped. She shook her head. “This is gooier than I thought!” She held out a little caramel for the bird Cara was cleaning. “Sweet thing,” she cooed.

  Cara rinsed the bird’s feathers again. “This one is going to be okay,” she said. “But there are so many others. I’m not sure we’ll be able to wash them all.”

  “That’s why we’re here to help!” Berry said, landing next to Cara.

  “We got the sugar fly message,” Dash told Melli.

  “And we came as fast as we could,” Raina added.

  Melli was touched that all her friends had gotten to Caramel Hills so quickly. She smiled at the Fruit Fairy, Mint Fairy, and Gummy Fairy standing before her.

  The fairies immediately started to care for the butterscotch-coated birds. As they worked Melli kept looking around. The flow of syrup was steady, and the spill was growing larger.

  “Raina, why do you think this happened?” Melli asked.

  Raina usually had the answers to questions. She loved to read and was known to have memorized many sections of the Fairy Code Book. The thick volume of the history of Sugar Valley had helped the friends solve mysteries around Candy Kingdom in the past.

  “Butterscotch Volcano is dormant,” Raina said. “That means it doesn’t erupt for long periods of time.” She paused and glanced at her friends. “This doesn’t mean that it couldn’t erupt.”

  “And we know there is butterscotch in there because the fairies filled barrels at the Butterscotch Festival,” Dash added.

  “Dash is right,” Melli agreed. “But it took a week to fill all the barrels at the castle.” She glanced over at the volcano. “No, this is very different. I want to go take a closer look. Anyone want to come?”

  “I will,” Cocoa called. “I’ve never seen so much butterscotch syrup!”

  “We’re all going with you,” Berry said.

  Raina and Dash lined up next to the Fruit Fairy. They had finished cleaning a bird and were worried about the amount of syrup too.

  All five fairies flew up in the air. Melli took a fast dive near the volcano. Her friends followed.

  “Look!” Melli shouted. “There’s the crack on the side of the volcano! The older Caramel Fairies were right. It’s enormous!”

  “No wonder there is an overrun of syrup,” Cocoa said.

  “A leaky volcano?” Dash asked, wrinkling her nose.

  They all looked to Raina. She shrugged. “It can happen,” she said. She peered down at the volcano. “Maybe there was an eruption that made the volcano crack?” She tapped her finger to her chin. “That seems the most likely answer.”

  “Hot caramel,” Melli muttered.

  “You mean hot butterscotch,” Dash said, correcting her.

  “This isn’t good news at all,” Cocoa said.

  “No, it’s not,” Melli replied. She looked at her friends. “The question is, how do we stop this butterscotch burst?”

  The fairies huddled together on a branch of a caramel tree. From where they were sitting, they could see the butterscotch spreading.

  “We have to do something—and fast,” Melli said.

  “Those poor birds,” Raina whispered as she looked below. “The butterscotch in their wings will keep them from flying. They’ll never be able to get food.”

  Melli felt helpless. Usually she adored Butterscotch Volcano and the rich syrup that was inside. Making candies with the fresh, hot butterscotch was always a highlight of the Butterscotch Festival. Melli loved watching the brave Caramel Fairies dip into the center of the volcano to scoop out the sweet, golden treat. She had never imagined how dangerous the volcano could be!

  “The butterscotch is out of control,” she said sadly.

  Dash flew off the branch and quickly circled the area. When she came back to the branch, she had a sour look on her face. “If we don’t stop the leak, the butterscotch will reach Chocolate Woods. Think of all the animals there—and the chocolate crops!”

  “Double-dip bittersweet,” Cocoa said, hanging her head.

  “We need to stop this,” Berry said, sitting down next to Melli.

  “Maybe we should be asking whom to stop?” Melli asked.

  “Mogu?” Cocoa asked. She wrinkled her nose. “Do you think that salty old troll could have done this?”

  Melli shivered. The thought of Mogu in Caramel Hills upset her. The greedy troll often tried to steal Candy Fairy candy, but he usually stayed under his bridge in Black Licorice Swamp. She looked to her friends.

  “I’m not sure if this is his style,” Berry said, thinking aloud. “The butterscotch from the volcano is yummy, but it’s not in candy form. You’d have to do a lot of work to make candy, or have the patience to wait for the butterscotch to cool.”

  “Doing work and having patience don’t seem like Mogu’s style,” Raina said, agreeing with Berry.

  Cocoa fluttered her wings and looked around. “But if Mogu is greedy enough, he might.”

  “No, Mogu wouldn’t be patient enough,” Melli said with certainty. “Having patience is one of the hardest parts of being a Caramel Fairy.”

  “Which is why I like to work with mint,” Dash said, grinning. She reached into her pocket and took out a peppermint. “Ahh,” she said. “Quick and tasty!”

  Melli smiled at her minty friend. No one liked speed better than her friend Dash. She was one of the smallest Candy Fairies, and al
so one of the fastest. And the least patient fairy she knew!

  “The more I think about it, I think it’s possible the crack just happened naturally,” Raina suggested. She slipped the Fairy Code Book out of her bag. “Yes, I have the book,” she said to her friends before they could comment. Usually one of her friends couldn’t help making fun of her for always having the fact book on hand. In the past the thick volume of the history of Sugar Valley had helped the friends solve mysteries that happened in Candy Kingdom.

  “Let’s hope there’s something in the book that can help us figure out this sticky mess,” Melli said.

  As the fairies hovered over the book Melli heard her sister call to her.

  “Let me go check on Cara,” she said to her friends. “I’ll be right back.”

  Down at the bottom of the tree, birds surrounded Cara.

  “Melli,” Cara gasped when she saw her big sister. “There are so many sticky caramellas! Two Caramel Fairies just left more here for us to clean.” Cara’s brown eyes were full of tears. “How will we ever save them all?”

  Melli hugged her sister. Seeing her so upset made Melli stronger. “We will help one bird at a time,” she said. “If we work together, we can figure this out.” She pointed up at the tree behind them. “Raina is looking up some facts in the Fairy Code Book. She’s sure to find some useful information.”

  “I hope so,” Cara said. “In the meantime, this area will be the rescue center. I’m going to get some more supplies. Can you stay here? I think more caramellas will be coming.”

  “Sure as sugar, I’ll stay,” Melli said. She watched her sister fly off, and then she picked up a sticky bird. She carefully wiped its wings and tried to get the syrup off.

  Suddenly the sounds of gurgling and rumbling filled the air. It sounded as if a giant was awaking from his slumber. Melli froze. She looked toward the volcano. The crack she had spotted earlier was now split open wider. More butterscotch rolled up to Melli’s feet. The spill was getting deeper and deeper . . . and more dangerous for everyone in Caramel Hills.