Gooey Goblins Read online

“Sweet caramel, I sure do,” Melli said. She had been so proud of her friends for solving that mystery—and for saving the candy corn crop.

  Fluttering her wings, Raina flew up in the air. “So maybe Mogu and the Chuchies believe that there are goblins, but there really aren’t any?” She stopped and tapped her finger on her chin.

  “If it’s not goblins, what could it be?” Berry asked.

  “Princess Lolli didn’t say if she believed Mogu or not,” Raina continued. “If she were certain, she wouldn’t be sending a team out to explore.” Raina flew into the center of the circle her friends had formed. “Don’t you all want to be part of this?”

  “I’m in,” Dash blurted out. She was always up for an adventure, and if this one involved saving the candy in Sugar Valley, she was up for the journey.

  “Count me in too,” Berry said. “I’m not afraid of a troll or goblins.”

  Raina looked over at Cocoa and Melli. “What do you think?” she asked.

  Cocoa nodded. “I’ll go,” she said. “I’m not sure I believe Mogu, but after seeing Gummy Forest this morning, I know I have to do something.”

  All eyes were on Melli. “Okay,” she said reluctantly. “I’ll go. Friends stick together.”

  “Sure as sugar,” Raina said, smiling.

  Raina hoped Princess Lolli would pick them to take this journey. She had to—they were the prefect fairy team for the task.

  Dash quickly noticed that no one else was in the throne room when they arrived. “Where is everyone?” she whispered to Berry.

  Berry spun around. “I guess we’re the only ones who want to go,” she said hesitantly.

  As the friends approached the throne, Mogu stepped forward.

  “These are the only fairies you’ve got?” Mogu bellowed. “These little fairies are going to be no match for the goblins in Sugar Cove. Why, they are no match for anyone. Baaaaaah-haaaaa!”

  “Princess Lolli,” Raina said, ignoring Mogu, “we’d like to go to Sugar Cove and find out what is happening. We are a special group of fairies and have different candy strengths to battle whatever comes our way.” She looked over at Mogu. “And it’s not just about size or age.”

  Smiling, Princess Lolli nodded. “You are very wise, Raina,” she said. “And I am proud of you five fairies for stepping forward to help in Candy Kingdom’s time of need.” She got up from her throne and leaned in close to the fairies. “Are you sure you are up to the trip? Sugar Cove is very far from here.”

  The five fairies flapped their wings quickly.

  “We’ve talked this over, and sure as sugar we all want to go,” Berry stated.

  “Salty sours,” Mogu grumbled, hitting his hand on his knee. “One fiery look from those goblins, and these fairies will be deep-fried.”

  “Mogu,” Princess Lolli said gently, “I said that I would handle this, and I will. So kindly refrain from saying anything bitter in my castle.” She winked at the fairies in front of her. “We all appreciate your dedication,” she told them.

  Raina glanced at her friends. She hoped they were all feeling as proud as she was at that moment. They were the team that was going to save Candy Kingdom from being a melted sugar wasteland.

  CHAPTER

  4

  Royal Sugar

  Baaaaaah-haaaaaa!” Mogu laughed. His laughter echoed in the royal throne room and sent shivers to the tips of the fairies’ wings. “You can’t be serious, can you?” He leaped out of his seat and walked over to the fairies. “No one else is coming forward to go to Sugar Cove except these little fairies?” He licked his lips. “They might make tasty candy, but can they scare a goblin?”

  Cocoa lunged forward. She had dealt with Mogu before, and she was ready to answer him. She felt Melli’s hand on her arm and looked back at her friend. Melli was pointing toward Princess Lolli. The princess was looking right at Cocoa, motioning for her to wait.

  Feeling her anger bubble up inside of her, Cocoa bit her lip. How could she not say anything? She had tricked the salty troll before, and she would prove him wrong again.

  “Mogu,” Princess Lolli said sweetly. She walked over and stood beside him. “You came to me with this problem. And I appreciate your efforts to keep the candy in the kingdom safe and delicious.” She stopped and watched as Mogu grinned. Some of his teeth were missing, and his smile was a bit crooked. “I would like to handle this my way,” the sweet princess continued. “And I believe this team of fairies offers the right blend of ingredients to solve this mystery.”

  Cocoa smiled at the princess and bowed her head. Though it was hard for her to hold her tongue, Cocoa knew that Princess Lolli was right. Fighting with Mogu now would not solve anything. Everyone in the kingdom had to work together. She wasn’t sure if there were goblins or not, but she had seen the melted candy and wanted to stop that from happening again.

  “Princess Lolli,” Raina said, “we’re honored that you think we can do this.”

  The princess smiled. She pushed her jeweled tiara up on her strawberry-blond hair. “I think you will get to the bottom of this mystery,” she said, “and save us all.”

  “Sure as sugar!” Dash exclaimed.

  “Wait here for a moment,” Princess Lolli said. “I want to give you something for the journey.” She went out the side door of the room and returned with a small basket made of rainbow licorice strands. “Please take this with you,” she said.

  Dash peeked inside the basket. “But there’s nothing in the basket!” she exclaimed.

  The princess giggled. “We are going to put things inside right now, Dash,” she explained. “I want each of you to put one of your own candies in the basket. You may use the royal sugar in the golden bucket.” She pointed to the large bucket by her throne, which was filled with the finest sugar in all of Sugar Valley.

  If a fairy stuck her hand in the sugar bucket, she would pull out a piece of her own special candy. Royal sugar was the basic ingredient of all Sugar Valley candy. When a fairy touched the fine sugar, she formed her own candy in her hand.

  Cocoa and Melli went first and made a chocolate bar and a caramel square. Next Dash and Raina stepped up and pulled out a sparkling red-and-white mint and a rainbow gumdrop.

  Berry was last and took her time creating a bright red fruit-chew heart.

  “I wish I could do that,” Mogu moaned. “I’m hungry.”

  The Chuchies by his side jumped up and down on their thin legs. “Meeeeeee, meeee!” they squealed.

  Tula handed Mogu and each of the Chuchies a sack of candy. “Thank you again for coming to us for help,” she said. She pushed her sparkly glasses farther up on her nose. “And thank you for letting us handle the situation our way.”

  “Happy to help,” Mogu said, grabbing the candy. “And always happy to eat!” He opened the bag and emptied the candy in his mouth. “I was hoping for that royal sack of candy.” He spoke with his mouth open and showed off his black teeth. “Good luck out there in Sugar Cove,” he said. He reached into his pocket and threw a black licorice rope into the candy basket. “Never know when you’ll need some black licorice!”

  With another loud laugh, he waddled out of the throne room with the Chuchies close behind.

  Berry shook her head. “I’m glad he’s gone,” she said.

  “Well, he did give us information,” Raina told her. “We wouldn’t have known there was anything unusual in Sugar Cove if Mogu hadn’t come here.”

  “Raina is right,” Princess Lolli said. “And I am so thankful that you five fairies will go exploring. Here is the map of the area,” she told them. She handed Raina a scroll. “I want you to promise to send a sugar fly the moment you find yourselves in any danger.”

  “Thank you, princess,” Melli said. Knowing that Princess Lolli would come if they were in need of help eased her mind.

  “It’s too dangerous to fly over the sea because the winds are strong and the fog is very heavy,” Princess Lolli told the fairies. “Tula has arranged for a boat for you at the shores of
Gummy Forest for your trip.”

  Raina took the map. “We will keep our eyes open,” she told the princess.

  “Be safe in your travels and think wisely before making any judgments or taking actions,” Princess Lolli said.

  “Be sure to stick together,” Tula advised.

  “Sure as sugar, we will,” the five fairies said at the same time.

  CHAPTER

  5

  Fairy Tales

  Hot chocolate!” Cocoa exclaimed as the friends flew through the royal gates. “Did you see the look on Mogu’s face? I can’t wait to solve this mystery. We’ll show that old troll.”

  “You can bet your chocolate-covered chips,” Berry said, grinning. “He is so salty.” She grimaced and shook her head.

  “Seeing him in Candy Castle was strange,” Raina added. “That seemed so wrong. Candy Castle is the sweetest place.”

  “That’s for sure,” Cocoa said. “But Princess Lolli knows just how to handle Mogu.”

  “Did you see how he gobbled up those candies Princess Lolli gave him?” Dash added. “And those Chuchies weren’t much better.”

  “Come on, it’s almost Sun Dip,” Berry said. She was anxious to change the subject. “Let’s go over to Red Licorice Lake.”

  The five friends left Candy Castle and flew toward the red sugar sands of Red Licorice Lake. Each day at Sun Dip the fairies met there to share a snack and talk about their day.

  As the fairies flew the bright sun hit the top of the Frosted Mountains. The autumn sunset was full of red, orange, and purple and looked deliciously inviting. The fairies all sat down, exhausted from their meeting with Princess Lolli.

  “I still can’t believe she’s letting us go,” Raina said. She took out the scroll the princess had given them and unrolled the map.

  Melli came and sat down next to her, peering over her shoulder.

  “Do you have any caramel sticks?” Dash asked her. When Melli didn’t answer, the fairies all looked at her. They all realized at the same time that Melli hadn’t said a word since they left Candy Castle.

  “Are you all right?” Cocoa asked.

  Melli looked around at her friends. “Did you notice that no other fairies wanted to go on this journey?”

  Her friends all stared at her. They were well aware of that fact.

  “No one else volunteered,” Melli said. “And I know why no one else raised a wing to find who or what has been bewitching Sugar Cove,” she added softly.

  Her friends grew quiet.

  “Do you remember who lives in the Vanilla Sea?” She pointed to the water on the map. “You have to cross the Vanilla Sea to get to Sugar Cove.”

  All the fairies stared blankly at Melli. Then Raina fluttered her wings. Raina loved books and knew the history of Candy Kingdom by heart. She had practically memorized the Fairy Code Book.

  “You’re thinking of Nillie, the sea serpent, aren’t you?” Raina asked.

  Dash flew up from her seat. “Who’s that?”

  “There are many spooky stories about Nillie,” Berry said, waving her hand. “Those are just old stories fairies like to tell around full moons in the fields. Nillie is just a fairy tale.”

  “I remember hearing about Nillie!” Cocoa exclaimed. “She puts creatures under a sugar spell.”

  Cocoa, Melli, Dash, and Berry all looked to Raina. If anyone was going to know the answer, it was her.

  Raina felt all their eyes on her. “Well . . .,” she said slowly. She looked up to the tall red stalks of licorice as she thought. “I always believed those tales were spun by fairies working in Sugar Cove. No one has really ever actually seen the serpent in the Vanilla Sea.”

  Brushing some sugar sand from her shoe, Berry sighed. “There are stories and there are facts,” she said plainly. “We can’t lose focus here. Even though other fairies are afraid of tall tales, we can’t be. We need to get to the bottom of what is melting the candy.”

  Cocoa stood up. “Berry is right. There are so many candies ready for harvesting now. We need to make sure these goblins, or whatever they are, don’t harm any more candy.”

  “I’m all for that,” Dash said. “Bring on the scary and save the candy!”

  Melli rolled up the scroll. “Sometimes stories are based on facts,” she said. “And that is what I am afraid of.”

  “Let’s think sweetly,” Raina offered. “We should meet tomorrow at Gummy Forest dock.”

  “There is so much to do before we leave,” Cocoa said. “How long do you think we’ll be gone?”

  “It doesn’t take that long to sail the Vanilla Sea,” Raina said thoughtfully. “We could probably be there tomorrow night.”

  “We’re going to get there at night?” Melli asked. “That’s not great timing.”

  “Oh, we’ll be fine,” Berry said. “Besides, we have the candy basket Princess Lolli gave us.”

  “Unless these are goblins who like to eat candy and not just melt it, we may need a little more than sweet luck,” Dash said.

  Melli wasn’t too sure, and neither were any of her friends. But they had told the princess they would go, and now they had to stick to their promise.

  CHAPTER

  6

  Setting Sail

  In the morning clouds hung over the Frosted Mountains. Since the sun was blocked, the early daylight was dim and the air was chilly. The wind rustled the leaves on the caramel stalks outside Melli’s window. As she packed for her trip to Sugar Cove, she shivered. Normally, she loved these fall mornings when all the other fairies were sleeping and she could get to Candy Corn Fields to begin her work. She never minded if the sun was hiding behind a cloud or if the autumn winds were gusting. She loved fall harvest. There were so many delicious autumn caramel candies during this time. But today Melli was a little unsure about the journey to Sugar Cove. The thought of crossing the Vanilla Sea was making her wings shake!

  Melli looked over at the sugar basket filled with candy. She knew that the kind princess would help if they needed her, yet this didn’t calm her nerves.

  Taking flight, she raced to Gummy Forest to meet her friends. The far side of the forest lined the shores of the Vanilla Sea and would be where they’d board the sailboat.

  “Morning, Melli!” Raina called to her. The Gummy Fairy was already packing the boat with gear for the trip.

  “Am I the first one here?” Melli asked.

  “Nope,” Cocoa chimed in. She popped up from the boat. “I got here a little while ago to help Raina with the boat.”

  Melli looked around. “No sign of Berry or Dash?” she asked.

  A silver streak whizzed past Melli. “I’m here!” Dash squealed. She glanced down at the boat. “So mint!” she exclaimed. “I’ve never been on a sailboat before. And this one is pure sugar!” She inspected the creamy white boat with the rainbow fruit leather seats. “We’re riding in style,” she said, approving of the boat. “How fast does she go?”

  Her friends all laughed. They knew Dash loved speed. She was one of the fastest fairies in the kingdom. Most of all she loved her sled, which she raced down the Frosted Mountains on at top speed. The faster the better for Dash!

  “Too bad we’re off to find goblins,” Melli muttered, “not to win any races.”

  Dash was about to ask why Melli was all sticky and sour, but Berry interrupted her.

  “Hello, fairies!” Berry cried from above. “I know, I’m late, but I am here!” She reached into her bag. “Check this compass out!” she said with a proud grin. “I found this at home. Isn’t it supersweet?” She showed her friends the sugarcoated jewel compass. “This is going to lead us straight to Sugar Cove—even in the fog. We just need to sail west,” she said, pointing to the bright pink W on the face of the compass.

  “That is a sugar-tastic plan,” Dash said.

  “Did you add all the fruit jewels?” Raina asked. She leaned over to admire the bejeweled compass.

  “Sure as sugar!” Berry said. “This compass is functional and fashionable.�
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  Cocoa smiled. “Choc-o-rific! Leave it to Berry to come up with a fashion statement for any journey,” she said.

  “All aboard!” Raina cried.

  As the friends got on the boat a few gummy bears and other gummy animals came out of the forest. They lined up along the shore to say good-bye.

  Blue Belle stepped forward. The little blue gummy cub looked very concerned. Before getting on the boat, Raina gave him a tight hug.

  “Don’t worry, sweetie,” she told the cub. “We’ll be fine. We have one another, and we’ll be safe.”

  When Raina let go of Blue Belle, she saw Princess Lolli standing on the dock. “I came to say good-bye too,” she said. “And to thank you fairies again for taking this journey.”

  “We’ll be careful,” Raina assured her. “We have your basket with the candies and some other supplies.”

  “Send a sugar fly if anything happens, and I will be there at once,” the princess reminded them.

  A few of the forest animals helped push the boat out to sea, and the fairies all waved.

  “We’ll send word as soon as we see anything dangerous!” Raina called back to Princess Lolli. She sat at the back of the boat to steer with the rudder.

  “Or even if we don’t,” Dash added. She looked at her friends and shrugged. “Sometimes those goblins are pretty sneaky!”

  “Oh, Dash,” Berry said. “Take hold of the ropes, and don’t let go.” She reached up to the boom of the sail. Melli sat with Raina at the stern of the boat.

  Dash did as she was told, and the sail filled up with air, pushing the little boat farther out to the sea. Pretty soon the fairies could no longer see Gummy Forest.

  “Keep watch for Rock Candy Isle,” Raina said. She was hovering over the map. “That should be coming on our left.”

  “Yum.” Dash sighed. “I love rock candy.”

  Melli gave Dash a sour look. “We are not stopping for a snack,” she said. “I’d like to get to Sugar Cove before nighttime.”