A Valentine's Surprise Read online

  Raina shook her head. She was in sugar shock!

  “He said he wanted to come sing with Lyra tonight at Sun Dip to help the flowers,” Melli continued. She stopped jumping and sank down onto the ground. “Isn’t that just the sweetest thing ever?” she swooned.

  “Sure as sugar,” Raina said.

  Melli helped Raina pick up the feeding log and carry it over to the edge of the water. Finally Melli’s wings slowed down, and she was able to breathe normally.

  “Having the Sugar Pops sing at the party tonight will sweeten the whole night,” Raina said. She grinned at Melli. “Dash found the perfect surprise for Berry.”

  “And everyone in Sugar Valley!” Melli added.

  Raina stuck her hand out and pulled Melli up. “Now we really have to make sure the meadow is looking good,” she said. “We’re going to have a huge party!”

  “I know!” Melli exclaimed. “That’s why I had to come here and tell you!”

  “And you’re sure Berry doesn’t know?” Raina asked.

  Melli shook her head. “All the sugar flies and fairies know the party is a surprise.” Melli grinned. “I have to make sure I don’t see Berry today. I don’t think I can keep the secret.”

  Raina rubbed her wet hands on her dress. “I know how you feel,” she said. “I’m going to have to avoid Berry all day too! Fruli is going to be with her most of the day and promised to keep her away from the meadow.”

  “Yes, I heard,” Melli said. “And they will escort Lyra back at Sun Dip, right?”

  “That’s the plan,” Raina said. She held up her crossed fingers. “I hope all goes well. I want this to be an extra-special surprise for them both!”

  Melli gave Raina a hug. She took off, and called over her shoulder, “I’ll see you at Sun Dip!”

  Raina stood for a moment, smiling. Their plans were coming together: Lyra was healthy, Berry was going to have a birthday surprise, and now the Sugar Pops were going to sing! This was turning out to be a sugarcoated Valentine’s Day.

  For Raina, the day was spent making candy for the party and organizing the decorations. She had a quick visit with Lyra at the castle and was happy to see her feeling well.

  Back at the meadow, plans for the party were going perfectly. Fruli had dropped off the gorgeous Meringue Island material, and Raina, Cocoa, and Dash hung it as a curtain on the stage.

  “For once I’m glad that Berry is always late,” Dash said as she hung mint lights around the stage. “I hope we finish in time!”

  “Everything looks great,” Raina said happily as she took in the scene.

  The meadow looked beautiful with the festive decorations, and the flowers were all standing up straight.

  “We actually pulled this together!” Dash exclaimed.

  “Here they come!” Cocoa shouted. “Places, everyone!”

  The fairies all gathered around the stage while the Sugar Pops played. Raina could see the surprised expressions on Berry’s and Lyra’s faces as they got closer. When the two of them landed on the stage, everyone applauded.

  Berry just gazed around the meadow with her mouth open.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Berry speechless!” Raina said, giving her friend a tight squeeze. “Happy birthday!”

  “I can’t think of a sweeter surprise for my birthday and Valentine’s Day,” Berry said. “Thank you all so much.” She turned to Raina, Dash, Melli, and Cocoa. “You did all this?”

  “Yes,” Raina said. “We all helped. Especially Fruli.”

  Raina handed Berry a present. She was so excited to give Berry her birthday gift. When Raina had visited Lyra earlier that day at Candy Castle, Lyra had told her about the flower she had grown especially for Berry.

  “Oh, Raina!” Berry cried. “This is scrumptious!” She put the headband on her head. “I love the fruit-chew flower and all the sparkly gummies.”

  “I’m glad you like it,” Raina said. “Happy birthday, Berry.” She went over to Lyra and stroked her long nose. “And welcome home, Lyra.”

  Lyra nuzzled Raina’s hand. “Thank you,” she sang out.

  The fairies all exchanged cards and other treats. The whole kingdom was there to celebrate the festive day.

  “This turned out to be the sweetest Valentine’s Day surprise,” Berry said to her friends. “Lyra is healthy, the meadow looks great, and the Sugar Pops are here!”

  Raina looked over at Dash and smiled. “Sure as sugar!” she exclaimed happily.

  The Sugar Pops played well past when the sun slid behind the Frosted Mountains. Everyone was having a deliciously sweet time.

  “This was the best Valentine’s Day ever!” Berry exclaimed at the end of the night.

  “And I got some great gifts too,” Dash said, grinning.

  “Who doesn’t love Valentine’s Day?” Cocoa added.

  Melli and Raina laughed.

  “We all got some sweet surprises,” Raina said. “But the sweetest part is that we helped Lyra.”

  “Look at Lyra now,” Dash said, smiling.

  Lyra was in the meadow, away from the crowds. She was softly singing her special lullaby to the flowers.

  “Do you think she liked the party?” Raina asked.

  “Yes,” Berry said, hugging Raina. “And she loves being back safe and sound, surrounded by all these friends.”

  Raina smiled. This was a grand birthday and Valentine’s Day event. There was no better way to celebrate Berry’s birthday and Lyra’s homecoming. They had tricked Mogu once again, and the Sugar Pops were playing. The sounds coming from the meadow were joyous and sweet. It was a perfect Candy Fairy celebration full of love and friendship!

  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 fe
athers 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.

  READ ALL THE CANDY FAIRIES BOOKS!

  Chocolate Dreams

  Rainbow Swirl

  Caramel Moon

  Cool Mint

  Magic Hearts

  Gooey Goblins

  The Sugar Ball

  COMING SOON:

  Bubble Gum Rescue

  Double Dip

  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

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  First Aladdin paperback edition December 2011

  Text copyright © 2011 by Helen Perelman Bernstein

  Illustrations copyright © 2011 by Erica-Jane Waters

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

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  Designed by Karina Granda

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

  Library of Congress Control Number 2011920262

  ISBN 978-1-4424-2215-5 (print)

  ISBN 978-1-4424-2216-2 (eBook)