Marshmallow Mystery Read online

  Contents

  CHAPTER 1 Peppermint Problem

  CHAPTER 2 Supersour

  CHAPTER 3 Gummy Glow

  CHAPTER 4 Gummy Bear Clue

  CHAPTER 5 Gummy, Minty Mess

  CHAPTER 6 Key to the Mystery

  CHAPTER 7 A Looooong Day

  CHAPTER 8 Bitter News

  CHAPTER 9 Perfect Plan

  CHAPTER 10 The Catch

  Frozen Treats Excerpt

  About Helen Perelman

  For Marlene, my supersweet sister

  Peppermint Problem

  Raina the Gummy Fairy was enjoying a quiet afternoon in Gummy Forest. The sun was beginning to set, and she was feeding the gummy fish. Twice a day she sprinkled the flavor flakes into Gummy Lake. Raina loved taking care of the animals who lived in Gummy Forest.

  All of a sudden a loud voice startled her.

  “Raina!” shouted Dash the Mint Fairy.

  Dash whizzed down to the ground as if she were in a race. She nearly knocked Raina over when she landed.

  “I am so happy to find you!” Dash cried.

  “Whoa!” Raina exclaimed. She stumbled backward as Dash hugged her. When Raina saw her friend’s face, she gasped. “What’s wrong?”

  Dash pushed a lock of her blond hair out of her face. Her small silver wings were beating superfast. “I really need to talk to you,” she said, panting.

  Dash was one of the fastest fairies in Sugar Valley. Raina could tell that Dash had just made the trip to Gummy Forest in record time.

  “Okay, okay,” Raina said. “Slow down. There’s no race today.” She smiled. No one loved a race more than her friend Dash.

  Dash put her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths. She took an extra-long breath in and out before she spoke. “It’s Mallow,” Dash finally said.

  “The frosted white owl in Marshmallow Marsh?” Raina asked. She looked very concerned. She put her feeding bucket down. “Is he all right?”

  Dash shook her head. “I am not sure,” she said. Dash’s blue eyes were wide with concern. “He was acting very strange when I saw him.”

  “What do you mean?” Raina asked.

  “I think that he may be hiding something,” Dash replied.

  Raina looked at Dash carefully. Mallow was an owl, so he spent his days sleeping and his nights exploring Sugar Valley. “Wait a sweet second,” Raina said. “What were you doing in the marsh so late at night?”

  “That is what makes this all so strange,” Dash told her. “I just saw Mallow! In the afternoon! And he wasn’t sleeping.” She took another deep breath before continuing. “I was getting some marshmallow frosting for my racing sled, and there he was!”

  Raina looked up at the darkening sky. “Well, it is close to nighttime now,” she said. “Soon it will be Sun Dip. Maybe he was getting up a little early?”

  Dash leaped up in the air. “I don’t think so. He didn’t look like he had slept at all. He wasn’t very chatty, either,” she said. “You know Mallow loves to tell stories. But just now he rushed off and barely had time for a quick hello.”

  “Let’s sit down over here,” Raina said. She guided Dash over to the dock by the lake and they sat down on the edge.

  “I’m not just upset by seeing Mallow,” Dash said. “There’s something else that’s worrying me.”

  Raina watched Dash carefully. “What else?”

  “Well,” Dash said, “before I was at the marsh, I noticed broken candy canes in Peppermint Grove along the Chocolate River shoreline.” She tilted her head. “Do you think that might be part of the reason Mallow is acting so strange?” She wrapped her arms around herself. “Do you think maybe there is something or someone haunting the marsh?”

  “You sound like you’ve been reading some Lupa stories,” Raina said, smiling. Raina had lent Dash a book about the brave Candy Fairy explorer Lupa. Lupa stories were full of adventure—and sometimes a little spooky.

  “Maybe,” Dash admitted. “I love Lupa mysteries.”

  Raina reached for the Fairy Code Book in her bag. “Lupa mysteries are good,” she said. “But the Fairy Code Book usually has the answers.”

  A smile spread across Dash’s face. “I knew you’d know just the right page to turn to in the Fairy Code Book,” she said. “That’s why I came here. You always think of some story to help figure out a problem. No one knows the Fairy Code Book better than you!”

  Raina blushed. “Well, the Fairy Code Book is special. It holds the history and secrets of the Candy Fairies.” She flipped open the thick book. “If I am remembering correctly,” Raina said, “I think there’s a similar story about broken chocolate branches in Chocolate Woods that might help explain Mallow’s behavior.”

  “You always remember correctly!” Dash exclaimed. “I think that is one of the reasons why Princess Lolli trusted you to look after the Fairy Code Book. You read the book more than anyone!”

  Raina laughed. “Maybe,” she said. She turned the pages slowly.

  “I bet Princess Lolli thought for a long time about which fairy she would give that book to,” Dash went on. “You should feel very proud. It’s not like the ruler of Candy Kingdom would let just anyone have that special book.”

  “I am honored,” Raina said. She continued searching. Then she pointed to the open page in front of her. “Ah, just what I thought!”

  Dash leaned over and stared at the page Raina was pointing at. There was a drawing of Mogu, the salty troll who lived under a bridge in Black Licorice Swamp. The troll and his little Chuchies loved to steal the Candy Fairies’ candy.

  “Oh no,” Dash moaned. “You think Mogu is involved?”

  “Maybe. Here’s the story I was thinking about,” Raina said. She began to read a tale about Mogu and a chocolate bunny quarreling near Chocolate Woods. There were broken chocolate branches and there was missing candy. Raina stopped reading and looked up at Dash. “Have you noticed anything missing in Peppermint Grove?”

  “Oh, peppermint sticks!” Dash said. “I am not sure. But I wonder if Mogu is also to blame for Mallow’s odd behavior.”

  Raina closed the book. “Sadly, Mogu is usually involved in these salty times,” she said with a sigh. She slid the book back into her bag and picked up the feeding bucket.

  “I haven’t seen Mogu at all,” Dash said. “But I will keep watch. And take a careful look at the mint crops.”

  “Keep checking on Mallow,” Raina advised.

  “I will,” Dash said.

  “Great,” Raina replied. “Poor, sweet Mallow. He is such a gentle and wise owl. I hope that he is all right.”

  “I want to help him,” Dash said. “He has always been so kind to me. When I am training for a race, at night he leaves a marshmallow treat for me at the finish line so I can have it on my first run down the mountain.”

  “Sweet,” Raina said. Dash often trained on the trails of the Frosted Mountains that wound down to Marshmallow Marsh. Dash was an expert sled racer. Raina reached over and gave Dash a tight hug. “You are a good friend, Dash,” she said.

  “You are too,” Dash told her. “Thanks for that story about the chocolate branches! If Mogu is bothering Mallow, I want to help.”

  Just then there was a rustling in the gummy branches. Dash leaped up in the air. “Sweet peppermint!” she cried.

  Raina smiled. “It’s only Blue Belle,” she said. “Come here, sweetie.” Raina reached out to the small gummy cub.

  “Blue Belle,” Dash said, “you scared me.”

  Blue Belle giggled and bowed her head bashfully.

  “I think Blue Belle wants her food,” Raina explained. She slipped her some flavor flakes, and the cub settled down to eat.

  “Bye, Blue Belle! Bye, Raina!” Dash said as she
took off toward Peppermint Grove.

  “I’ll see you soon at Red Licorice Lake for Sun Dip!” Raina called after her.

  As Dash flew away, Raina hoped that Mallow’s problem was just a quick quarrel with Mogu, but she wasn’t sure that Mallow’s behavior was due to just Mogu’s hunting down candy. She tried to shake off her concern and went back to her peaceful task of feeding the gummy fish.

  Supersour

  On the red sugar sand beach of Red Licorice Lake, Raina waited for her friends to gather for Sun Dip. This was her favorite time of day. The sky was a dark lavender and the sun was low in the sky. As her friends arrived, Raina wondered what was keeping Dash. Dash was never late.

  “What’s wrong, Raina?” Berry asked. The Fruit Fairy settled down next to Raina on a blanket. Her sparkling fruit-chew hair clips were lined up neatly in her hair. Berry was the most fashionable of all the fairies.

  “Dash isn’t here yet,” Raina said to Berry. “She came to Gummy Forest before Sun Dip, and she was worried about Mallow.”

  “I beat her here?” Berry said, surprised. She looked around. “Lickin’ lollipops! This must be a first!”

  Melli the Caramel Fairy and Cocoa the Chocolate Fairy moved in closer. Raina saw concern on their faces.

  “What’s wrong with Mallow?” Melli asked.

  “First Dash said that Mallow was acting odd and wouldn’t talk to her. It was the middle of the afternoon, and he was awake when he should have been sleeping. Then she told me that she had spotted broken candy canes along Chocolate River,” Raina explained.

  “Hot chocolate!” Cocoa exclaimed.

  “I found a story in the Fairy Code Book about Mogu and broken chocolate branches,” Raina went on. “We thought Mogu might be the cause of Mallow’s problems.”

  “Poor Mallow,” Melli said. “He is such a sweet owl. I hope he’s all right.”

  Raina looked off toward Marshmallow Marsh. “I know,” she said. “Maybe Dash is talking to Mallow now.” Raina drew her breath in quickly. “I hope she’s not talking to Mogu alone!”

  “Raina, what made you think of Mogu?” Melli asked.

  Cocoa laughed. “Of course Raina remembered a story from the Fairy Code Book.”

  Raina could tell her friends were joking with her. She knew that everyone thought she had memorized the large book from cover to cover, she had read it so many times.

  Cocoa spread her wings. “Oh, I hope it wasn’t Mogu,” she said. “Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop are not at Candy Castle and can’t help us. They’re visiting Prince Scoop’s family in Ice Cream Isles.”

  “This could be supersticky,” Melli mumbled.

  “Don’t dip your wings in syrup yet,” Berry said. “Let’s wait to hear what Dash has to say.”

  The light in the sky grew dimmer and darker. Finally, Raina spotted Dash’s silver wings.

  “Dash!” Raina cried. “Where have you been? Are you okay?”

  Dash flew down to the blanket her friends were on. “I tried to catch Mallow,” she told the fairies. “I sat by the hollow tree he sleeps in and waited and waited. I thought maybe if I asked him about Mogu, he would feel comfortable telling me if something salty had happened.”

  “But Mallow didn’t come out?” Cocoa asked.

  “That’s strange,” Raina said.

  “Maybe he didn’t want to talk,” Berry said.

  Dash shot Berry a minty glare.

  “It’s possible,” Berry said, shrugging.

  “Or maybe he is in trouble,” Dash said. “He was awake in Marshmallow Marsh before Sun Dip today, and that has never happened before.”

  “Is there a story in the Fairy Code Book about Mallow, or even another owl in Sugar Valley?” Melli asked Raina.

  “There’s a story about everything in the Fairy Code Book,” Cocoa said. “Right, Raina?”

  Raina shook her head. “Not always,” she said. “Mallow up before Sun Dip is not something a fairy hears every day.”

  Dash reached out for a chocolate treat from Cocoa’s basket. “And don’t forget, the book has every single candy recipe too,” she said. She rubbed her stomach. “Maybe that is why I can’t read the book very often. I would get too hungry!”

  The fairies all laughed. Dash had one of the largest appetites in Sugar Valley.

  “Maybe we should check the Fairy Code Book again,” Melli suggested. “There might be another story that explains what happened today.”

  Raina reached into her bag. Her face turned as white as fresh peppermint. “The Fairy Code Book!”

  “Yes,” Dash said, staring at the selection of chocolates. “What does the book say?” She popped another chocolate into her mouth.

  “The Fairy Code Book!” Raina screamed. “It is gone!”

  Melli rushed to Raina’s side. “How is that possible?” she asked. “You are never without the book.”

  “Maybe we left the book on the dock at Gummy Lake?” Dash asked. “Are you sure you don’t have it? You are always so careful with your books, especially the Fairy Code Book.”

  Raina curled her legs up close to her chest and rocked back and forth. Her red wings hung low to the ground. “I know I put the book back in my bag at Gummy Lake.”

  “The book couldn’t have disappeared,” Berry said calmly. “Maybe it’s just lost.”

  “Books don’t get lost by themselves,” Raina said sadly. Berry was usually the one to say something cool and calming, but right now Raina thought her comment was neither one of those things!

  “We have solved mysteries and problems before,” Berry told her. “We can solve this one.”

  “This is supersour,” Dash mumbled. “First broken candy and Mallow acting strange . . . and now a missing book.”

  Raina lowered her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “This is most bitter. I have never lost a book—ever!”

  “You’re right, Raina,” Cocoa told her. “Books don’t just disappear. We need to figure this out step by step.” She tapped her finger to her chin. “I know! You need to retrace your steps.”

  Dash snapped her fingers. “Sweet peppermint! Cocoa, you’re right!” She leaned down closer to Raina. “Think, Raina. What would Lupa do?”

  Raina blew her bangs off her face. She took a moment and then looked at her friends. “Lupa never had a mystery this dark,” Raina said glumly.

  There was silence as the sun slipped behind the Frosted Mountains. A chill was in the air as the day melted away. Berry took out her shawl and handed it to Raina.

  “We shouldn’t rule out anything,” Berry said. “What we need to do is investigate.

  Melli stood up. “I think we should tell Princess Lolli,” she said.

  “I don’t want to worry her,” Raina said. “I have to try to find it myself first.” She couldn’t imagine the disappointment on Princess Lolli’s face if she had to tell her the treasured book was lost. She stood up and straightened her wings. “I’m going back to Gummy Forest. Maybe there is a clue to where the book is.”

  “What about Blue Belle?” Dash piped up. “She was at the lake too, remember?”

  Raina smiled at Dash. “Reading those Lupa stories has made you a great detective! You’re right, maybe Blue Belle saw something.”

  “Now we have to find Blue Belle too,” Berry said.

  Cocoa waved her arm around. “Did you notice that it’s very dark out?” She pointed up to the sky. “There’s no moon tonight. We can’t see a thing . . . let alone a clue.”

  Dash reached into her bag and pulled out a sack of mints. “Good thing you have a Mint Fairy friend,” she boasted. She tossed the candies to her friends. “This should help us with our search. Sure as sugar, we’ll find the book.”

  Each fairy snapped a mint stick in half, and a pale white glow lit up the dark night.

  “Thanks, Dash,” Raina said. “These glow-in-the-dark mints are a help.” Raina tried her best to sound positive. But the truth was that no one knew what would become of the Candy Fairies or Sugar Valley candy if
the Fairy Code Book got into the wrong hands. All the Candy Fairies’ secrets were in that book. Candy Fairies would be in danger if the book was taken by someone. As Raina took off for Gummy Forest, she couldn’t help but think that the missing book, the broken candy canes, and Mallow’s unusual behavior were somehow all related. But how?

  Gummy Glow

  With Dash leading the way through the nighttime sky into the darkened Gummy Forest, the five friends arrived at Gummy Lake. Dash’s mints had helped them all to see, but Raina worried the mint glow wouldn’t be bright enough to search for the book.

  When the fairies flew to the dock, Raina showed her friends where she last remembered seeing the Fairy Code Book.

  Raina replayed the scene in her head. Her bag had been next to her the whole time she was feeding the fish. Could someone have sneaked over and taken the book out without her noticing?

  Raina’s disappointed face was hard to miss, even in the dim light. “Sour sticks,” she mumbled. “I hoped the book would be right on the dock.”

  “Me too,” Dash said.

  Raina walked around and around. “I don’t know what happened,” she said. Tears started to well in her eyes, and she turned away.

  Berry took charge. “Raina, Dash, and I will search the forest and look for clues,” she told her friends. “Cocoa and Melli, you check the area around the lake.”

  “Maybe we can find Blue Belle, too,” Dash said.

  “We’re sure to find something,” Cocoa said, trying to sound hopeful.

  Everyone agreed and broke off to start the hunt.

  “Even though I was worried about Mallow and the broken candy, I still think I would have spotted a Chuchie or something out of the ordinary,” Dash said to Berry as she flew. “Do you think it’s really possible Mogu stole the book?”

  Berry kept her eyes on the forest below. “I hope not,” she replied. “I am no master of the Fairy Code Book like Raina, but I don’t think the book has ever not been in a Candy Fairy’s hands.”

  “I was afraid you were going to say that,” Dash mumbled.