The Coconut Clue Read online

  Suddenly one of the monkeys grabbed a long stick and dragged it through the sand pit as he swung on the vine.

  “Raina, look at that little one with the branch,” Cocoa said. “He makes this look so easy.”

  “He’s looking for something,” Berry replied. “Watch!”

  The small monkey’s stick hit something buried in the sand. He started to squeal, and another monkey jumped on a vine to swing closer. The Candy Fairies couldn’t believe their eyes: This monkey had a net! He dipped down and scooped up a coconut from the pit.

  “Did you see that move?” Dash said.

  “Lickin’ lollipops!” Berry said. “Those are some fast-flying monkeys.”

  Raina noticed that the net didn’t go too deep into the sand. “It looks like the sugar is so thick and gooey that the coconuts don’t actually sink all the way down,” she said.

  “What we’re looking for isn’t lost,” Berry said. “It’s just covered.”

  “And what exactly are we looking for?” Dash asked.

  Raina’s wings drooped. “Well, I am not really sure,” she said.

  “You always check the Fairy Code Book for information,” Melli said. “Maybe we should also check Prince Scoop’s Tropical Treasures book.”

  Cocoa gave Melli a hug. “You are thinking like Raina!” she said. “That is a choc-o-rific idea!”

  Melli picked up Prince Scoop’s book. She started to flip through the pages. “Did you read all the stories in here?” she asked Raina.

  “Not all of them,” Raina admitted to her friends. “There aren’t as many stories as in the Fairy Code Book, but I got so excited after reading the first chapter about Gummy Lagoon,” she said. “I had to come here right away.” She moved closer to Melli and peered over her shoulder. “I probably should have read more,” she said softly.

  Melli carefully turned the pages of the old book. “We can read the stories together,” she said. “Don’t you always say that fairy stories help us figure out what to do?”

  Raina smiled at her friend. “Thanks, Melli,” she said. “You are a good friend.”

  “And a good reader, too,” Cocoa added.

  Melli stopped flipping the pages of the book. “Doesn’t this look like the coconut shell we just found?” she asked.

  The fairies crowded around Melli and looked at the picture she was pointing to in the book. There was a drawing of a wand with a special-looking coconut at the end. The coconut had a design carved into the sides. Below the picture there was a sentence: The flavor wand of Gummy Lagoon.

  “Choc-o-rific, Melli!” Cocoa gushed. “I think you just solved the mystery of the lagoon!”

  “A magic gummy wand?” Raina asked. “I have never heard of such a thing.”

  “Maybe because it’s been buried in the sugar quicksand,” Dash replied.

  “Sweet sugars,” Raina gasped. “All these years without the tropical flavors, and the answer is here in this sandy goo?”

  Melli put her hand up. “Hold on,” she said. “We really should read some more of the story. You can’t tell the whole story from one picture.”

  Raina knew that Melli was right, but her mind was racing. What if she was able to find this wand? She started to think of all the flavors she could harvest and all the scrumptious gummy flowers she could grow. She could create a whole tropical feast of delicious fruity flavors. Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop would be so proud!

  “Raina!” Berry said loudly. “Are you listening to us?”

  “Sorry,” Raina said softly. She had not heard a single word her friends had said since she’d seen that picture of the gummy wand.

  “I said,” Berry continued, “that the tip of that wand looks just like the golden coconut we found.” She held up the coconut. “I rubbed off the extra sugar sand on it, and there is the same drawing.” She put it next to the book so Raina could see the markings. “We found a piece of the magic gummy wand!”

  “Hot chocolate!” Cocoa exclaimed. “Look at that carving!”

  “Sugar-tastic,” Raina said, in awe of the work. “This must be the tip of the magic wand.”

  Berry clapped her hands. “Now we just need to find the wand!”

  “There are many other stories in this book,” Melli said. “We should read some more. I bet there are more clues in the other stories.”

  “Now you really sound like Raina!” Dash exclaimed.

  Raina stood up and fluttered her wings. “The wand might be in the quicksand, just like the coconut. I think we should try to look for it.”

  Melli shook her head. “But we could get stuck in that sand,” she said.

  Dash shuddered. “And get a thick sugar coating.”

  Berry flew up in the air. “Come on,” she said with a burst of enthusiasm. “Let’s give it a try and see what we can find.”

  Raina was thankful for Berry’s positive attitude. “Berry’s right,” she said. “We at least need to try. Let’s find some long branches so we can stir up the sand and poke around.” She looked up at the monkeys swinging from the branches. “We are going to be like fearless cocoa monkeys,” she said.

  “I was afraid she was going to say that,” Melli said, sighing.

  “Come on, Melli,” Raina said. “You found the picture. Now let’s find the wand.”

  But before they could start, Melli grew very quiet and dropped the book onto the ground. Then she cried, “We’ve got company again!”

  A large orange gummy alligator was crawling around the edge of the sand pit.

  But instead of flying away, Raina smiled. “I think we’ve just got the extra help we needed,” she said. She flew down to the alligator as her friends stared at her in disbelief.

  Hagoo’s Surprise

  Raina!” Cocoa shouted. “What are you doing? That’s an alligator!”

  “And he has some large teeth!” Dash added.

  Raina looked back at her friends standing on the branch above her. She waved at them. “Don’t be afraid,” she said. “Come down. It’s fine.” She landed next to the alligator. “This is Hagoo. I’ve read a ton of stories about him.”

  “And did any of those stories say that the large alligator with the large teeth is friendly?” Berry asked. She raised her eyebrows and peered down at Hagoo.

  “Yes, of course,” Raina called. “Hagoo has been living here in Gummy Forest forever.” She shrugged. “Well, at least for a long time.”

  “He’s not going to be mad we’re here in the lagoon?” Dash asked.

  “I’ll ask him,” Raina said bravely. She flew over to Hagoo and hovered above him.

  “Is she really speaking to an alligator?” Melli asked.

  Raina saw Hagoo’s kind eyes and knew that the stories of the wise, gentle alligator were true. He wouldn’t hurt a Candy Fairy. And maybe he would even help them. Raina showed Hagoo the golden coconut they had found. He slowly nodded his large head and then pointed his tail toward the sand pit.

  “Thank you, Hagoo,” Raina said. “Let me get my friends. I’ll be right back.”

  Raina flew up to the other fairies. They all shared the same scared expression. She knew it was not every day a Candy Fairy saw a large gummy alligator. “I think he is telling us that the wand might be buried in the sand,” Raina said. “Please come down and meet Hagoo. He really is a kind animal.” She held out her hands to her friends.

  “Wait,” Berry said. “It looks like Hagoo is pointing to the cave near those rocks, not to the quicksand.”

  The five friends flew down to Hagoo. Berry, Melli, Cocoa, and Dash kept a safe distance above the alligator.

  “Berry, you’re right,” Raina said. “Hagoo is pointing to that cave.”

  Hagoo moved slowly toward the rocks behind the quicksand, looking back to make sure the Candy Fairies were following.

  Melli flew over to get Prince Scoop’s book, which she had dropped, and then followed her friends to the cave. She hugged the book close to her chest. “Are you sure about this, Raina?” she asked.
<
br />   “Sure as sugar,” Raina replied. “Hagoo is trying to help us. I just know it.” She stood next to Hagoo at the edge of the cave and peered inside.

  “Don’t worry,” Dash told them. “I came prepared.” She pulled out a bunch of mint sticks from her bag. The minty glow lit up the dark cave. “There’s nothing like the safety of a mint stick in a dark place,” she said.

  Raina took the stick from Dash. “Thank you, Dash. You are always prepared for an adventure.”

  “In a minty minute!” she said. “You never know when a little mint is needed.”

  The five fairies huddled close together as they followed Hagoo into the cave. The ground was damp and the air had a chill. Raina had the feeling that no Candy Fairy had set foot in the cave for a long time. She took a deep breath as she continued into the darkness.

  “This is not quite what I had in mind when I said I would come to the lagoon,” Melli said. “I was thinking of blue water and glorious flowers and reefs.”

  “Not to mention yummy gummy candy,” Dash mumbled. She held up her mint stick. “How much farther is Hagoo going?”

  Just then the alligator stopped. He turned and pointed his tail to the wall. Raina held up her mint stick, and suddenly she saw why Hagoo had taken them there. All around them were drawings on the walls of the cave.

  “So mint!” Dash exclaimed when she saw the artwork.

  “This is like a giant storybook,” Melli said in awe.

  “What does it all mean?” Cocoa asked.

  “These look like ancient drawings,” Raina told them. “And look! Each one is signed Gem the Gummy Fairy.”

  “Who is Gem?” Dash asked.

  Raina shook her head. She ran her hand over the drawings carved into the stone. “I don’t know, but imagine what Gem is trying to tell us.”

  “Or warn us about,” Berry whispered.

  Raina pulled Berry’s hand. “Come on. Let’s explore a little. Maybe there is a picture of the coconut wand we saw in Prince Scoop’s book.”

  “Let’s try to figure out the whole story,” Melli said.

  Raina fluttered her wings and gazed at the rock wall in front of her. Her mouth fell open and she felt a rush of excitement. “According to these pictures, a flavor wand does exist!” she cried. “Look!”

  Carved into the stone was a picture of a wand with a coconut at the tip. It was surrounded by pieces of tropical fruit. There were drawings of pineapples, melons, papayas, and mangos. “Sugar-tastic!” she exclaimed.

  Berry flew over to the drawing and stared at the wand. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

  “And look here,” Raina said, flying farther into the cave. “Here is a picture of a gum-gum bird. Why do you think there is a carving of that bird here?”

  “Definitely another clue,” Cocoa said. “Did anyone see a gum-gum bird when we were near the lagoon?”

  “I would have remembered seeing a bird like that,” Dash said. “They are known for their flavored candies.” She blushed. “I do know some things about Sugar Valley history!”

  “That’s right, Dash,” Raina said, smiling. “And here the bird is holding the wand in her beak. It looks like the gum-gum bird took the wand and hid it.”

  Berry pointed at another carving and said, “The bird took the coconut off.”

  “The gum-gum bird hid the parts of the wand,” Melli added. “I wonder why?”

  Hagoo turned and crawled out of the cave. Raina motioned for the others to follow. Once they were outside, Hagoo lifted his head to the sky.

  Raina was amazed at the sight. There, on a branch above, was a gum-gum bird. Her feathers were a glossy black, with bright pink and yellow on her wing tips and chest. Her long orange and pink beak shone like the sun.

  “Holy peppermint,” Dash gasped.

  The bird flew down and landed on Raina’s arm. Raina gazed at the bird. “I bet you are here to help us,” she said. She looked down at Hagoo. “Thank you,” she said.

  Hagoo bowed his head and crawled into the green gummy grass. The bird on Raina’s arm spread her wings and took off. The five Candy Fairies flew after her, hoping this would lead to a sweet ending.

  Gum-Gum Magic

  Raina flew behind the gum-gum bird with her friends. She had to work hard to keep up! The bird’s wings were much larger than a fairy’s wings, and the bird was flying superfast. Raina looked over her shoulder at her friends. She knew they were all thinking the same thing: Where is this bird taking us?

  As they flew farther away from the lagoon, Raina got nervous. Maybe she should have read Prince Scoop’s book cover to cover. It wasn’t like her not to finish a book. She should have known better. Was she putting her friends in danger? Her mind was whirling as fast as her wings were flapping.

  “I think we can trust this gum-gum,” Berry said, flying up beside Raina. “You trust Hagoo, right?”

  Raina was thankful Berry was thinking that going on this journey was the right thing to do. After all, the pictures in the cave had shown a gum-gum bird with a wand in her beak. And Raina trusted Hagoo. They had to keep going if they wanted to solve this mystery.

  “Do you think she is flying so fast because no one should see us?” Cocoa asked Raina.

  “Maybe,” Raina said.

  “Oh, thank our sugar stars!” Melli cried. “She’s landed on that branch up ahead.”

  “I’m exhausted,” Cocoa said with a heavy sigh.

  Dash shot ahead. “Come on,” she called. “We’re at the finish line! Time to speed it up!”

  “Easy for you to say,” Melli said, trying to keep up with her friends.

  The five fairies landed on the rim of a large nest. The strands of grass and gummy leaves that made up the nest were colorful and smelled delicious. Raina was amazed at the pattern and colors the gum-gum had selected for her home. The bird nodded to the inside ledge, and the fairies sat down.

  “Oh, look!” Dash said. “She’s going to feed us!”

  There was a large tray of gummy candies spread out before the fairies.

  “Maybe we look hungry?” Dash asked, stuffing her mouth with gummy treats.

  Berry shot Dash a look. “I don’t think this is all about us,” she said. She turned to Raina. “What else did Prince Scoop say to you when he gave you the book? Did he mention anything about Gummy Lagoon? Or a mysterious wand?”

  Raina thought back to when Prince Scoop had given her the book. She didn’t remember any talk about a wand, but the cave drawings were clear. There was a coconut wand. “Maybe there were two tropical-flavor wands,” Raina said, thinking out loud. “And one wand was taken to Ice Cream Isles, and the Gummy Lagoon wand was hidden by the gum-gums.”

  “But why?” Melli asked. “Why did the gum-gums feel they had to hide the wand?”

  “We should ask her,” Dash said.

  Dash was right. Raina wanted to get to the bottom of this. She was about to ask the bird, when suddenly the whole sky seemed to fill up with gum-gums. There was a lot of squawking, and the birds were swooping around the nest.

  “Looks like we have some company,” Berry said.

  “And they don’t look too happy,” Dash added.

  Raina looked over at the gum-gum who had brought them to the nest. She didn’t look worried or alarmed at the angry birds around them.

  But they were squawking so loudly!

  “Maybe they are trying to warn us,” Melli said.

  “Or punish this bird for showing us her nest,” Raina replied. She grew more and more concerned. “Let’s not panic yet,” she said bravely. “I think we need to remain calm.”

  “Easier said than done,” Melli mumbled.

  “She’s the biggest of the gum-gums, so maybe she is the leader,” Berry said, pointing to their host. “It’s good that she is on our side.”

  The large gum-gum bird stood on the rim of her nest and squawked at the other birds. Suddenly there was quiet.

  “Wow,” Dash said. “She’s got some magical power.”

&nbs
p; Raina stood up. “I don’t know if you will understand me,” she said to the birds around the nest. “I am Raina the Gummy Fairy, and my friends and I want to bring back the tropical flavors that have been lost to Candy Kingdom.” She paused and looked around at the birds. “Can you help us? This gum-gum bird has been so kind.”

  She wasn’t sure if the birds understood her or not, but they did start to fly away. The five Candy Fairies held their breath. What were the gum-gums going to do? Did they understand?

  Raina turned back to look at the gum-gum in the nest. She had a kind expression on her face and lifted up her wing. Raina moved closer to her. Now that all the gum-gums had flown away, there was silence. With her brightly colored orange-and-pink beak, the gum-gum bird pulled a silver wand from the side of the nest and dropped it into Raina’s hands. Then she spread her large wings and flew off.

  “I guess sometimes you just have to ask,” Dash said.

  “Sweet sugars, Raina,” Berry told her friend, “you got the wand.”

  Special Treats

  Raina couldn’t believe she was holding the gummy wand in her hand! It looked just like the one Gem the Gummy Fairy had drawn in the cave. Now she could bring back all those delicious, beautiful tropical tastes to Candy Kingdom. She reached into her bag for the coconut. The quicksand coating had peeled off, so now she could see the carvings on the sides much better than before.

  “What is that picture on the coconut?” Berry asked. She squinted and tried to make out the drawings. “Is it a gum-gum bird?”

  “I think you’re right,” Raina said, holding up the coconut. “I guess that is why these birds are so protective of the wand. Did you notice that the colors at the ends of their black feathers are the same as tropical flavors?”

  Berry held up a stray feather from the nest. “I did,” she said. “I was thinking about taking some of these stray feathers for some of my own designs.”