Honey in Shimmer Island Read online

  With fairy big thanks to Catherine Coe

  Welcome to the world of the fashion fairy princesses! Join Honey and friends on their magical adventures in fairyland.

  They can’t wait to visit

  Can you?

  Contents

  Cover

  Half Title Page

  Dedication

  Title Page

  Map

  Shimmer Island!

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Fashion Fairy Princess Website

  Sneak Peek of Bluebell in Dream Mountain

  Copyright

  “How about we go shopping?” Violet suggested. She sat cross-legged on Bluebell’s rug, fiddling with the petal tassels.

  “I suppose we could,” said Bluebell, who lay on her giant four-poster bed, flicking through fashion magazines.

  Buttercup looked up from Bluebell’s mussel-shell dressing table, where she was picking out a nail varnish to go with her bright-yellow cardigan. “But shopping’s not the same without Rosa,” she said. “I really miss her.”

  It was the start of the summer holidays, and Rosa had gone to stay with her cousin Honey on Shimmer Island. The beginning of the summer holidays was always an exciting time – long, sunny days stretched out ahead of them, ready to be filled with fun, adventures and fashion! But it felt strange without Rosa, and the three remaining best friends were finding it hard to get excited about anything.

  “What’s that noise?” Buttercup asked all of a sudden. She tucked her long blonde hair behind her little ears and listened harder. She was sure she could hear something humming!

  “Oh, look!” cried Violet. She rushed over to Bluebell’s star-shaped window and opened it wide, and a beautiful blue and green hummingbird darted into the room. It fluttered over to land on Bluebell’s dressing table and hummed a low, gentle melody.

  “What’s that in its beak?” Buttercup asked. She moved her hand towards the bird, taking care not to frighten it, and cupped her palm in front of its beak.

  Bluebell smiled – Buttercup was always so gentle with animals. She seemed to have a special kind of bond with them.

  The bird stopped humming, just for a moment, and dropped something into Buttercup’s hand. Then it gave a quick flutter of its pretty blue wings and rose up and back out of the window.

  The three fairy princesses took a moment to watch it fly away – they didn’t see many of these stunning birds in Sparkle City. Most of them lived out in the trees of Jewel Forest.

  Violet leaned over Buttercup. “So, what is it?” She peered into Buttercup’s hands, her long curly hair falling on to her face.

  “It’s an envelope – I wonder what’s inside!” Buttercup said. She began to open it, and pulled out a little sparkling postcard, with looping swirls of handwriting across it. Buttercup read out the message in her soft, quiet voice.

  “Oh my fairyness!” cried Violet. “I’ve never been to Shimmer Island before, but it sounds amazing!” The island was a long way away from Sparkle City, past Star Valley and River Sapphire, and right in the middle of Glitter Ocean.

  “And we’re to go right away?” said Bluebell, already fluttering across her bedroom, pulling out her suitcase and flinging it open.

  Buttercup was looking out of Bluebell’s window at the courtyard below. “Yes – the butterflies really are waiting for us outside!” she said. “I’d better get packing.” She flew over to the door and zoomed out into the white marble hallway of Glimmershine Palace.

  Violet was close behind her. “See you downstairs in ten ticks of a dandelion clock!” she called to Bluebell as she flew out of the bedroom.

  The fashion fairy princesses packed as quickly as they could. They couldn’t wait to get to Shimmer Island to join Rosa on her holiday. Bluebell pulled out her lavender-petal swimsuit with matching sarong from her pearl chest of drawers, and then she fluttered to her giant fly-in wardrobe on the other side of her room. She spun round, looking for the perfect outfits to take on a summer holiday, and found a gorgeous silk top in a shimmering indigo blue, and a sky-blue cotton summer dress with pretty lace sleeves.

  Meanwhile, Buttercup was flicking through the clothes in her fly-in wardrobe, wondering what to take and what to leave behind. Her spider’s-web skirt with glitter belt? Yes! Her lemon-yellow wrap dress with gold trim? Yes! And what about her daisy-chain sandals, her wide-brimmed summer hat, and her shell-string necklace? Yes, yes, yes! She just hoped her suitcase was big enough. . .

  In her bedroom, Violet had almost finished packing. She folded her palm-leaf cape at the top of her glittery lilac suitcase. “Done!” she said to herself as she clicked the clasps shut. She grabbed the handle, but when she tried to flutter up with it, she found she couldn’t move! Oops. She knew she had packed too much, but she had to get going – the butterflies, and Rosa and Honey, were waiting!

  “We can help you with that,” came two small, high voices behind her.

  Violet turned round and beamed. At her door stood two tiny fairy-helpers. There were lots of these helpers at Glimmershine Palace – they assisted the fairies with daily tasks and errands. Even though they were only half Violet’s height, their double wings meant they were super strong and very fast.

  “Oh, thank you!” Violet replied, as the two helpers picked up her suitcase between them and zoomed as fast as dragonflies along the palace’s hallway and down the glass staircase.

  Violet flew off behind them, and was soon rushing out on to the palace’s sweeping pathway, where three royal butterflies with enormous deep purple wings waited patiently on the stones. Buttercup and Bluebell were already sitting on their butterflies’ backs, grinning. Violet fluttered up to the remaining butterfly and nestled herself between the butterfly’s soft purple wings.

  Bluebell’s blue eyes sparkled with excitement. “All ready?” she said, as Violet and Buttercup nodded their heads. “Shimmer Island, here we come!”

  The fairy princesses loved flying by themselves, but there was something extra special about being aboard a royal butterfly. The great wings were so powerful that they could fly much faster than a fairy – or even a winged pony – and their strong legs carried the suitcases with ease. The wind whipped through Buttercup’s blonde hair as they rose higher and higher. It was a perfect summer’s day, warm but not too hot, with not one cloud in the bright blue sky.

  “There’s Star Valley!” shouted Violet, pointing down at the rolling green hills and sparkling stream. “Can you see Fern?”

  Fern was a star fairy, and a very good friend of the fashion fairy princesses. Star Valley wasn’t far from Sparkle City, so they often visited each other, especially in the holidays.

  Bluebell shook her head. “We’re so high up, all I can see are dots!” she said.

  They were flying over River Sapphire now, and Bluebell was leaning forward, trying to stretch her head over her butterfly’s wings. “I’m watching out for Glitter Ocean!” she explained. “I can’t wait to see the gorgeous sparkling sea.”

  “Please be careful!” said Buttercup. Bluebell could be really clumsy sometimes, and Buttercup didn’t want her to fall off her butterfly from all the way up here!

  Suddenly Glitter Ocean came into view, and Buttercup couldn’t help but gasp. The sea was a deep turquoise blue, and she could see how it got its name – it glittered like a giant jewel as the sun’s rays bounced off it.

  The three fairies stared out ahead of them, but all they could see was water. Violet
was starting to wonder just how far away the island was.

  But then they saw something glimmer like a tiny diamond on the horizon.

  “Is that Shimmer Island?” Violet asked.

  But her two friends didn’t need to reply. The butterflies were flying so quickly that they could soon make out a moon-shaped island, surrounded by silver sand and covered in bright green palm trees. As they got closer, they could hear a beautiful sound ringing out across the island.

  “Songbirds!” Buttercup realized. “I heard that there are thousands of them living in the palm trees on Shimmer Island! Don’t they sound magical?”

  The fairy princesses took in the stunning view as the butterflies slowed down to land on the shore of the island. The sand really was sparkling – Buttercup spotted tiny crystals in among the sand grains – and the tall emerald-green palm trees looked beautiful against the bright blue sky. As the three friends fluttered down from the royal butterflies, they heard a shout.

  “Oh, Violet, Buttercup, Bluebell, it is you! I’m so glad you came!” It was Rosa, her pink wings shaking with joy as she flew like a shooting star to greet them. She was wearing a flowing cream maxi-dress with a crown of pale pink flowers in her long dark hair and already looked at home on the island.

  Then came Honey, skipping over the sand in a gorgeous turquoise grass skirt, her thick blonde plait waving behind her. “You made it!” she said in her sing-song voice. “Welcome to Shimmer Island!”

  Rosa was already reaching out to Buttercup, Violet and Bluebell to give them a group hug. “I think you’ll love it here!” she cried. “I missed you so much, and as soon as I told Honey she suggested inviting you right away!”

  “The more the merrier!” said Honey as the royal butterflies took off from the beach. “Now come on, I want to show you the whole island!”

  Rosa looked down at her friends’ bulging suitcases. “Maybe we should go and unpack first.”

  Violet grinned – super-organized Rosa did seem a lot more laid-back here, but she would always be the practical one!

  Honey widened her big brown eyes at her cousin. “Oh please, Rosa, we can unpack later. There’ll be plenty of time for that!”

  Rosa looked at her fairy princess friends, their faces alight with excitement. “Oh, all right then,” she gave in. “There are lots of amazing things to show you!”

  “First stop, the Sand Castle!” cried Honey.

  Buttercup glanced at Bluebell. A sandcastle didn’t sound all that amazing, but they followed Honey anyway as she flew in and out of the palm trees. It was nice and cool under the shade of the big leaves. Soon they emerged at a different part of the beach, which Honey said was called Golden Bay, and Buttercup couldn’t help her jaw dropping when she saw just what Honey had meant by “the sandcastle”.

  “Wow!” Violet darted ahead to get a closer look.

  In front of them stood a castle almost as big as Glimmershine Palace. It was made of the same crystal sand that was on the beach, which made it sparkle like a diamond in the sun.

  “That’s my bedroom,” said Honey, pointing to a circular turret that rose up high into the sky. “You’ll all be staying with me, like a proper sleepover. I’ll show you inside the castle later. Next stop, the waterfall!”

  Honey zoomed off over the tops of the palm trees, the four fashion fairy princesses following close behind. She led them to the other end of the island and fluttered down in a small clearing. Before they had even landed, the fairies were hit by the most delicious smell. Gorgeous aromas of honeysuckle and jasmine and roses and sweet peas filled the air.

  As they drew in deep breaths, Honey beckoned them down to a rushing waterfall. “It’s scented,” she explained, “by all the flowers around it.”

  The friends gazed at the waterfall that poured from a high ledge. It was surrounded by flowers of every shape and colour imaginable. The water seemed to release the flowers’ scents as it splashed down to join a river that weaved away towards the sea.

  “This is the Forever Happy Waterfall,” explained Honey. “It’s said to be enchanted – the longer you spend breathing in the flowers’ sweet perfume, the happier you’ll be.”

  “Oh, it looks very magical,” said Violet, although she wasn’t sure that she needed the help of the waterfall – she was already very happy!

  Honey grinned. “There’ll be lots of time to come back here,” she said, looking up at the midday sun. “As it’s getting hotter, there’s somewhere else we should go next.”

  As they flew up and over the palm trees once more, Bluebell wondered where they were heading. The island seemed like a wonderful place. Bluebell was so happy they were going to be spending their holidays here!

  “That’s where the sand fairies live.” Rosa pointed down at a cove where little houses dotted the shore. “Their homes are pretty huts made of coconut shells!”

  But they weren’t stopping here – Honey dashed ahead.

  “Not much further!” Honey called back over her shoulder. “I promise you, it’ll be worth it!”

  Suddenly Honey dived down past the canopy of palm trees. She pushed back layers of lush plants so that her friends could fly through. Underneath, her surprise revealed itself. Hidden away beneath the plants, a large natural pool glistened, surrounded by flower-covered rocks.

  As soon as she saw it, Violet wanted to dive straight in! It looked so refreshing.

  “It’s always so sunny on Shimmer Island, and this is one of my favourite places to come when it’s a bit too hot,” Honey explained. “I know we’re not wearing our swimming costumes, but we can float out on these lily pads. I promise you, you’ll love it!” She knelt down beside the edge of the pool and began fishing out lily pads and passing them around.

  Violet had already taken off her lilac pumps and tied back her curly hair so it didn’t get wet. Rosa laughed as Violet slid tummy down on to her lily pad, paddling with her arms and legs out into the middle of the pool. She made it look very easy, but Rosa was a bit worried about falling off!

  Honey noticed Rosa’s concern, and fluttered over to put an arm around her cousin. “It’s OK – these are very special lily pads,” she said. “No matter how much you tilt them, you can’t fall in!”

  That made Rosa feel a lot better. Soon she had joined her friends, and was splashing around the pool. Feeling the water flow past her hands and feet was so cooling, and the palm trees that bent over the pool shaded them from the hot sun. It’s a bit like floating on a cloud, Rosa thought, swimming about gently while listening to the laughter of her friends.

  “Now it really feels like a holiday,” said Bluebell as she paddled with just one hand to spin herself round and round. “Oops, sorry, Buttercup!” she added, when she realized she’d splashed her friend with the spray. Buttercup grinned to show she wasn’t really annoyed.

  “I’m glad you’re having fun, Bluebell,” said Honey. Then she winked. “But the best is yet to come – just you wait and see!”

  The five friends spent the whole afternoon at the pool, eating cucumber-star salads for lunch and drinking coconut milk straight from the nut. But by the time the sun started to set over the horizon, Honey still hadn’t told them the plan, although no one was very surprised – Honey was so easy-going about everything!

  “I suppose we should go back to the Sand Castle now,” said Honey, as the setting sun cast a beautiful red glow over the whole island. “We need to get ready for this evening.”

  “What do we need to get ready for?” Rosa asked.

  But Honey put her finger to her lips and shook her head. “I can’t say – not yet…”

  The fairy princesses flew back over the island’s palm trees towards the sparkling castle in Golden Bay. Honey led them to the main door, where the sand had been shaped like two mermaids, each side of the door. But even though the outside of the castle was all sand, inside was a different matter. Sh
ell tiles covered every single surface. On the floor were flat scallop shells, while the walls and ceilings were made of beautiful pearl shells.

  Buttercup loved the tinkling sound their feet made on the shell tiles as they skipped into the entrance hall. They fluttered up a wide spiral staircase, and soon they were all flopping down on Honey’s huge seaweed hammock-bed. It was so big that all five of them could fit in at once!

  But they didn’t rest for long. Rosa was the first to get up and sit at Honey’s starfish dressing table, combing through her long hair with a brush made from a beautiful pink shell. “Should we put on some nice clothes, Honey?” she asked. She didn’t want to spoil the surprise, but she wanted to be prepared!

  “Oh yes, definitely,” Honey answered, jumping out of the hammock and fluttering into her dressing room. The fairy princesses grinned at one another when they heard Honey singing as she looked for something to wear. “Now the fairy princesses are here, let’s all sing and dance and cheer!”

  One thing was for sure: Honey was a very happy fairy to be around!

  Honey’s bedroom soon turned into a hive of activity as Violet, Buttercup and Bluebell began digging through their suitcases. Flip-flops, sunglasses and hats went flying as they each searched for the perfect outfit for that night. Rosa quickly gave up trying to tidy everything away, and helped her friends instead.

  She had already put on a gorgeous pink linen dress. “Perfect for a hot summer evening!” she said.

  Violet finally found the lilac strapless dress that she’d been looking for.

  “Ooh, I have a lovely hairband that would match your dress,” said Rosa. “Would you like to borrow it?”

  “Yes, please!” Violet beamed, and slid the jewel-studded hairband over her head, pulling her thick hair back from her face. Even though the sun had set, it was still warm outside and she didn’t want to get too hot.