Rock Candy Treasure Read online

  Contents

  Map of the Candy Kingdom

  CHAPTER 1 A New Friend

  CHAPTER 2 Solid Sugar Promise

  CHAPTER 3 Sweet Discoveries

  CHAPTER 4 Licorice Loops

  CHAPTER 5 Home Sweet Home

  CHAPTER 6 Surprises

  CHAPTER 7 Sweet Fixings

  CHAPTER 8 Wheels and Worries

  CHAPTER 9 Sharing Treasures

  CHAPTER 10 Happy Surprise

  About Helen Perelman

  For Alison Gottsegen

  A New Friend

  Melli the Caramel Fairy stood by the hot stones to melt her caramel in a clearing by Caramel Hills. She loved the sounds of Chocolate River rushing down the steep rocks. Chocolate Falls was one of her favorite places in Sugar Valley.

  As she watched her pot of melting caramel dipping sauce, she hummed. She was learning to play a new song on her licorice stick, and she couldn’t get the melody out of her head. The song was hard to play, but she wanted to perform it at Candy Castle for Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop. The royal couple was hosting a dinner and had asked some Candy Fairies to play their musical instruments for the entertainment. It was a big honor, and Melli wanted her song to be perfect.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Melli saw a bright streak of red and purple. She knew there were no caramel animals with those bright colors.

  “Is someone there?” Melli called out. “Hello?”

  A branch snapped in the woods, and Melli’s heart beat faster.

  “Who is hiding in there?” she asked. She had a bad feeling that maybe one of Mogu’s Chuchies was hiding in the bushes. Sometimes Mogu the troll would send his little Chuchies to steal candy from Candy Fairies. Or worse than Chuchies, maybe it was Mogu!

  Melli wished her other Candy Fairy friends were with her. If Cocoa the Chocolate Fairy were here, she would be brave and strong. Dash the Mint Fairy would be superfast and clever, and Raina the Gummy Fairy would be smart and know a story in the Fairy Code Book that would help. Her friend Berry the Fruit Fairy would likely not be scared at all!

  “Hello?” Melli said again. Her voice sounded shaky and unsure.

  The leaves on the bush in front of her moved, and Melli grew more nervous. She tried to think brave thoughts.

  “Mogu?” she asked.

  “Who’s Mogu?” a tiny voice said.

  Melli was surprised to hear that reply. Who lived in Sugar Valley and didn’t know the greedy, salty troll Mogu, who stole candy and lived in Black Licorice Swamp?

  “Who are you?” Melli asked. She fluttered her wings nervously and lifted herself off the ground.

  “I’m Crystal,” the voice said. “But you can call me Taly. Everybody calls me Taly.”

  Melli knelt down on the ground where the voice was coming from. Whoever was speaking was small and seemed friendly. Melli peered between the branches. “Hello, Taly,” she said. “I am Melli, a Caramel Candy Fairy.”

  “Are you a friendly Candy Fairy?” Taly asked.

  “Of course!” Melli exclaimed. She saw the tips of tiny, bright candy-apple-red boots.

  “I’ve never seen a Candy Fairy,” Taly replied. She stepped from behind the branches and out of hiding.

  Melli didn’t mean to stare, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the little creature. Taly had a long, pointed head and a red-and-purple striped hat. Her dress was purple with red-and-white polka dots.

  “Are you . . . a gnome?” Melli asked.

  “Yes, I am. Do you like gnomes?” Taly asked.

  Melli laughed. “I’ve never met a gnome,” she said. “My friend Raina once read me a fairy tale about a gnome named Gumbu, but I have never met one.”

  “I don’t know Gumbu,” Taly said. She moved closer to Melli and peered behind her back. “Can you fly?” she asked, looking at Melli’s wings.

  Melli fluttered her wings. “Yes, I can,” she said. “See?” She lifted herself up in the air.

  Taly’s eyes opened very wide. She looked around at Caramel Hills. “Where am I?”

  “This is Caramel Hills,” Melli told her. “I live here with other Caramel Fairies.”

  Taly raised her head and took a big sniff. “What is that smell?” she asked.

  “Sweet sugars!” Melli cried. “That is my caramel burning!” She flew over to the hot stones and lifted the pot of bubbling caramel off the hook. “Oh no,” she said, peering inside the pot at her burnt caramel.

  “Is it ruined?” Taly asked.

  Melli stirred the pot. “I think so,” she said. She shook her head. “That is not like me at all.”

  “It’s my fault,” Taly said. “I’m sorry.” The little gnome’s eyes filled with tears.

  Melli felt terrible that she had made Taly cry. “Don’t worry,” she said. “There is plenty more caramel. Would you like something to drink?”

  Taly nodded.

  “Here,” Melli said, giving Taly a cup of fruit nectar. “Drink this, and you can try these caramel squares I made this morning.” She reached for her basket of candy on a nearby rock.

  “Thank you,” Taly said. She ate everything that Melli gave her.

  “You haven’t eaten in a while, huh?” Melli asked. “Where did you come from, anyway?”

  Taly hung her head. “I’m lost,” she said quietly. “I’m not supposed to leave the caves, but I needed to find something to fix our carts!”

  “Caves?” Melli asked. “Carts?”

  Taly pointed to Chocolate Falls. “Rock Candy Caves,” she said. “We use small carts when we mine sugar from the caves.”

  Melli had no idea what the little gnome was talking about. She had flown around Chocolate Falls many times, and she had never known there were caves . . . with gnomes living there! “You live in caves behind the waterfall?” she asked. “And you mine sugar?”

  Taly’s small hands flew up to her mouth. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone that!” she said. “Where gnomes live is a secret.” She grabbed Melli’s hand. “Please promise not to tell anyone.”

  “Sure as sugar,” Melli said. She watched the little gnome eat her treat.

  “Will you help me get back home?” Taly asked.

  “Fairy’s promise,” Melli replied quickly. She had to help the little gnome!

  As Taly grinned and enjoyed her snack, Melli wondered if would be able to keep the promise she had just made!

  Solid Sugar Promise

  Melli handed the little gnome another piece of caramel. When she did, she noticed that Taly had started to cry. “If you don’t like the caramel, I can get you something else,” Melli said quickly. “After all, this is Sugar Valley!”

  Taly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “No, I love the caramel,” she said. She sniffled. “I’m just not sure how to get home. And I’m scared.”

  Melli put her arm around the gnome. “I promised to help you,” she said, “and I have some very brave and smart friends who can help too.”

  “But you’ve never been to Rock Candy Caves,” Taly said.

  “No,” Melli said. She looked toward Chocolate Falls.

  Taly licked the caramel off her fingers. “You should come back with me!” She smiled at Melli. “And since we’re friends now, I can show you the caves. I am sure that would be okay. If you came with me, then I wouldn’t be so scared.”

  “Why would you be scared?” Melli asked. She was usually the one who was scared and nervous. Looking at the small gnome, Melli suddenly had a burst of confidence. “When I had to go to Ice Cream Isles by myself, I was really scared,” she told Taly. “But you know what? I met some really nice friends and I had a great time.” She smiled. “I am going to make sure that you get home safely. But we need a little time to make a plan, okay?”

&nbs
p; “Okay,” Taly said. “Does the plan involve eating more candy?”

  “Sure as sugar!” Melli exclaimed.

  Taly leaped up and gave Melli a very tight squeeze.

  “Friends help each other,” Melli said, “and we’re friends now.”

  “Who is your new friend?” a voice cried from above.

  The sight of another Candy Fairy sent Taly running. She hid under one of the nearby caramel bushes.

  Melli waved to Cocoa. “Come meet Taly,” she said. Melli ducked under the branches. “Come out, Taly. Cocoa is my good friend. You are going to love her . . . and her chocolate! She’s a Chocolate Fairy!”

  Taly stuck her head out of the branches. “A Chocolate Fairy?” she asked.

  “At your service!” Cocoa exclaimed as she landed next to Melli. She saw the pointed hat and the little face sticking out of the brushes. “Wait, is that a gnome?” she asked, turning to Melli.

  Melli quickly stood up. “Cocoa, this is Taly. She’s a gnome, all right. A lost one.” Melli took Taly’s hand and brought her out from under the bush. “I promised her that we’d help her get back home.”

  “We should ask Raina,” Cocoa said. She bent down to speak to Taly. “She’s our Gummy Fairy friend who will know what to do. She always knows what to do.”

  “Cocoa’s right,” Melli told Taly. “Raina will check the Fairy Code Book for information about Rock Candy Caves.”

  “Rock Candy Caves?” Cocoa asked. “I thought that was a made-up place! I think I heard that in a story once.”

  “It’s real,” Taly said. She stepped slowly out of hiding. “Gnomes live in secret. I’m not supposed to tell anyone about Rock Candy Caves. I don’t think there will be any real information about gnomes in a fairy book.”

  “Maybe not,” Melli said thoughtfully. “But if anyone can give us information, it would be Raina.” She reached out her hand to Taly. “Do you want to take a ride?” Melli fluttered her wings and watched Taly’s expression.

  “You mean I get to fly?” The little gnome gasped and clapped her hands.

  Cocoa laughed. “It’s the best way to travel!” she exclaimed. She flew up in the air and did a flip. “Melli can carry you on her back. You are small and light enough.”

  Taly jumped up and down. “Wow!” she exclaimed. Then she stopped jumping. She bit her fingernails nervously. “I’ve never flown on a fairy’s back before.”

  Melli smiled at Taly. “No one is ever more nervous than I am! Believe me, you are perfectly safe with me.”

  Taly climbed up on Melli’s back, being very careful of her wings.

  “Now hold on tight,” Melli said. She lifted off the ground and heard Taly shriek.

  “This is so rocky cool!” the gnome shouted.

  Cocoa looked over at Melli. “What till she meets Dash!” she said, laughing. “She’ll have her begging to go flying at a minty speed.”

  The two fairies flew over Chocolate River to Gummy Forest, where they knew they would find Raina. It was just after lunch, so she was likely feeding the gummy fish in the lake.

  Just as Melli had expected, Raina was at the edge of Gummy Lake with her feeding bucket.

  “Berry and Dash are with Raina,” Cocoa said. She looked over at Taly. “You’re going to get the full five-friend Candy Fairy treatment.”

  Melli patted Taly’s leg as she flew down to Gummy Forest. “I’ll take care of this,” she said. She landed and helped Taly off her back. Raina, Dash, and Berry turned and saw that Melli and Cocoa were not alone. “I would like you three to meet Taly from Rock Candy Caves,” Melli told her friends. “I found her in Caramel Hills.”

  Dash was the first to fly over. “Hi,” she said. “I’m a Mint Fairy. What kind of candy do you make?”

  Taly shrugged. “Gnomes don’t make candy. We mine the sugar crystals from the caves and send the sugar out into the valley.”

  “So mint!” Dash exclaimed. “So you make the sugar we use to make the candy?”

  “We grind up the crystals to make the sugar,” Taly explained. “But I’ve never known what the sugar makes . . . until now!”

  Raina and Berry came over and introduced themselves. Melli was proud of how nice her friends were being. Raina even took Taly to see the gummy fish feeding in the lake.

  Berry grabbed Melli’s arm. “Are you in sugar shock?” she whispered into Melli’s ear. “Fairies and gnomes are not known for getting along. Don’t you remember the fairy tales we used to read about gnomes?”

  “What do you mean?” Melli asked. “Taly has been so gentle and sweet. She’s lost, Berry. I promised I would help her. And you know those stories weren’t all true.”

  “I guess the gnome part was true,” Raina added.

  “What about the bigger gnomes she lives with?” Berry asked Melli. “What if they are not as friendly to Candy Fairies?”

  Melli watched Raina and Taly over by Gummy Lake. What was Berry getting so upset about? Taly was a lost gnome who needed their help. Plus, Melli had made a promise. This was not how she had imagined the meeting with her friends would go.

  Sweet Discoveries

  Taly pulled on Melli’s arm. “Your friend Raina showed me how to feed the gummy fish,” she said. “There were so many of them! And so many bright colors!”

  Melli smiled. “Taly, I’m sure you were a great help,” she said.

  “I had no idea that this Gummy Forest exists!” Taly exclaimed. “Candy Kingdom is beautiful!”

  “Now you’ve got her hooked on gummy fish and Candy Kingdom,” Berry whispered to Melli. “This is going to get very sticky.”

  Melli glared at Berry. Why was she being so unhelpful? “She’s just exploring and learning about a new place,” Melli told Berry.

  “Is everything all right?” Dash asked. She looked between Melli and Berry. She could tell that the two friends were disagreeing about something. Dash flew over and took Taly’s hand. “Come with Cocoa and me to meet Blue Belle the gummy bear,” she said.

  A smile spread across Taly’s face. Melli loved seeing Taly so happy.

  “I’ll be right back,” Taly called over her shoulder.

  Melli waved as Dash and Cocoa took Taly off to meet Blue Belle. “Thanks, Dash,” she called.

  “We need to talk,” Raina said, flying over to Melli.

  Melli shook her head. “Oh no,” she replied. “Are you going to be like Berry?”

  “Berry is right to be worried,” Raina said. “It’s not every day that fairies and gnomes hang out together. In fact, I don’t know if they ever have!”

  “You sound like Berry,” Melli said, a bit more angrily than she meant to. “Maybe we should start hanging out with the gnomes.”

  “Don’t get upset, Melli,” Berry said. “We’re just a little concerned.”

  “I thought you’d help,” Melli said. “Or at least I thought you’d want to help. Taly is lost. She was really afraid. If I were lost, I would hope someone would offer to help me.”

  Raina and Berry looked at each other, and Melli could tell they both felt bad.

  “You’re right,” Raina told her. “We need to get Taly home. Let’s do some research. You can’t go flying into a gnome’s cave without a plan.”

  Melli felt better knowing that her friends were going to help. She knew very little about gnomes and caves. “Do you have a book about gnomes, Raina? Remember that story about Gumbu? She was a gnome.”

  Raina scratched her head. “Gumbu’s a fairy tale,” she said. “Maybe there is a Lupa story.”

  All the Candy Fairies loved Lupa stories. The brave Candy Fairy Lupa had had many adventures and had written exciting books about her experiences.

  Berry looped her arm around Melli. “Let’s all go to Raina’s library to look while Dash and Cocoa are with Taly. I’ll bet we can find some bit of information.”

  The three fairies flew to check out Raina’s bookshelves. It always amazed Melli to see all of Raina’s books lined up so neatly. Raina was one of the most organized Candy F
airies. She had to be—she had more books than any other fairy in the kingdom and Princess Lolli had trusted her with the treasured Fairy Code Book.

  “Ah, let’s try this one,” Raina said, pulling a thin book off the top shelf. “I think there is a chapter or two in this book about gnomes.”

  As Raina flipped through the pages, Melli took down a book of Lupa stories. Lupa had so many adventures, it was hard to find the one about gnomes!

  “You might want to check the blue Lupa book over on that shelf,” Raina said.

  Melli flew up to get the blue book. She had no luck. Then she spotted a green-apple-candy-colored book, Sugar Tales. Melli opened the book and saw one chapter that made her heart leap. “Sweet discoveries!” she exclaimed. “The chapter is called ‘Gnomes in Caves,’ ” On the first page of the chapter, Melli saw a fairy wearing a warm jacket and a light strapped around her head. “Look at this,” Melli said. She turned the book around so Berry and Raina could see.

  “Lickin’ lollipops,” Berry said. “I think you’ve just discovered the outfit you need to go exploring in the caves.” She leaned over Melli’s shoulder. “I could let you borrow my cotton candy and fruit leather jacket. And I’m sure Dash could figure out how to make a peppermint headlight for you.”

  Melli loved how Berry was now trying to help. Berry loved fashion, and of course she had just the right outfit for Melli to wear on a cave adventure. “Thank you, Berry,” she said. “It looks like it is pretty dark and cold in the caves.”

  Raina turned around the book she was reading. She pointed to a drawing of a gnome’s cave that was full of twists and turns. “We need to come up with a way for you to find your way out of there,” she said. “It’s like a maze. You’d have to track your way in to find the way out!”

  Berry snapped her fingers. “I know what to do!” she exclaimed. “We can weave you a licorice rope, and that way you can follow the licorice out of the caves once Taly is home.”

  Melli reached over to hug her friends. “You both are the best,” she said. “Thanks for helping figure this plan out. I can’t wait to tell Taly that we have a way to get her back home!”