Holly and the Christmas Wish Read online

  Holly grinned. “It’s because you’re so tall. But my feet are tiny – it’s hard to find shoes small enough to fit!”

  However, it didn’t take long for Holly to find the right shoes for her dress. In the window display stood the most elegant shoes she’d ever seen: white satin pumps, with a stunning diamond sparkling at the toe.

  “Do you have them in my size?” she asked the shop owner, a fairy with dark cropped hair called Pearl.

  “I think you’re in luck,” said Pearl. “These shoes have just arrived today. We’ve got them in every fairy size – but I think they’ll sell out quickly!”

  Holly slipped on the shoes. They were so soft inside it felt like she could dance in them for hours. The diamonds sparkled when she moved – they’d match the snowflakes on her dress perfectly.

  The blonde fairy couldn’t stop smiling as she paid for the gorgeous shoes. Then the three friends fluttered out of the shop and spent the rest of the afternoon helping Holly find accessories for her outfit. She bought a stunning white faux-fur wrap to keep her warm while she travelled to the ball, and the prettiest snowdrop hairclips to pin in her hair.

  That night, Holly knew she’d have no trouble getting to sleep after such a busy day. She looked through her window at the snow that still fell, glistening in the air. Tomorrow was the day of the ball – she couldn’t wait!

  The next morning, Holly woke up feeling both excited and nervous. She had to pinch herself when she thought about going to the ball that evening – she still couldn’t quite believe it was true! As she got ready to go to the hairdresser’s, Holly realized she’d need to take her butterfly umbrella with her – the snow was falling so thickly she could barely see through her window.

  She met Summer and May at Hair by Fairy, inside Sparkle City Mall. The three fairies loved this hairdresser’s, not only because Sophia, the fairy who ran it, did the most amazing hairstyles, but also because the whole salon was decorated with tiny firefly lights. These reflected in the mirrors along both walls, so that they seemed to go on for ever.

  “What are you going to have done to your hair?” asked May as Holly waited to be shown to a styling chair.

  Holly looked at her friend. In all the excitement she hadn’t given this any thought and really had no idea! But seeing May’s natural ringlets, she suddenly knew what she wanted.

  “Lots of curls all over, please!” she said to Sophia. “And then I’d like it pinned up with these snowdrop hairclips. If that sounds OK?”

  “Oh yes,” said Sophia. “That’s a great choice for the Snowflake Ball!”

  Summer and May chatted away while Sophia worked on Holly’s blonde hair. When she’d finished, she held up a mirror to show Holly the back and sides. Holly gasped, finding it difficult to believe she was looking at her own hair. It looked so pretty.

  “Wow, Sophia! Thank you – it’s beautiful!”

  As the fairies left, Holly spotted Princess Violet sitting down to have her own hair done. Violet had long dark curly hair – the opposite of Holly’s – and her fairy hairdresser began twisting it into a pretty bun on top of her head. Holly wondered what the other fairy princesses would do with their hair – but she knew they’d all look gorgeous!

  The three friends fluttered along to the shop next door – Beauty Belle.

  “I think I’ll get my nails done too,” said May.

  “Oh yes, me three!” agreed Summer. “Having a manicure is so much more fun if you do it together!”

  The fairies sat next to each other as the fairy manicurists clipped, filed and buffed their nails. Then they selected their nail polish colours.

  Holly chose a sparkling silver colour to match her dress. Summer picked out a Christmassy berry red, and May decided on a shimmery green. “It’ll make me look like a mermaid!” she told her friends.

  The day passed very quickly, and soon Holly had to leave her friends in the mall to go home and change. She wanted to be ready in plenty of time for the carriage to pick her up at six o’clock.

  Holly huddled under her umbrella as she fluttered home. The wind blew sparkly snow all around her, and she didn’t want to ruin her hair. She had to fly because the snow on the ground came up to her waist! There were only a few fairies on the streets of Sparkle City now, and those Holly did see were rushing home under umbrellas or wearing woolly hats. They fluttered above the thick snow until they reached their cosy cottages and hid away from the cold.

  Back at home, Holly added fairy-dust to her fire to keep warm as she got ready, then carefully stepped into the shimmering ball gown. It was incredible to think that even in front of the heat of her fire, the snowflakes on the dress didn’t melt. Holly was so excited that her hands shook as she fastened up the zip.

  But once she’d finished getting ready and looked out of her window, Holly’s excitement turned to worry. The snow whirling around outside looked more like a blizzard now, and it was terribly foggy too. She knew the winged ponies were magical, but could they fly through such bad weather to reach her?

  The blizzard seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. Holly kept glancing between the golden heart-shaped clock on her mantelpiece and the window. It was just five minutes to six. She stared and stared through the glass, hoping to make out the royal carriage in the distance, but all she could see was snow.

  Bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing! The sound of her clock chiming made Holly jump at first – then she looked at it sadly. It was six o’clock. The ponies and carriage weren’t here. Maybe the snow’s made them a little late, she told herself, trying to stay cheery. They’d probably have to fly quite slowly in this weather.

  Then something else made Holly jump. A tiny tapping sound was coming from the window! She fluttered over and saw a little robin shivering on the window sill. The poor thing! She opened the window quickly and the bird flew inside. Cold air blasted through the gap as she did, making Holly shiver too. She pushed the window closed as the robin perched on her clock on the mantlepiece, looking much happier to be near the warm fire.

  It held a letter in its beak and, as Holly held out a hand, it dropped it on to her palm. She ripped open the wet red envelope. The paper inside was damp, but she could still read the writing:

  Dear Snowflake Ball guest,

  We are sorry to inform you that due to the blizzard, the winged ponies and royal butterflies are unable to collect any more guests for the ball. Please could we ask you to make your own way to Glimmershine Palace?

  Stay safe, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

  From Princesses Rosa, Bluebell, Violet and Buttercup xxx

  Holly looked from the letter up to the window. How in fairyland will I get to the palace in this weather? It seemed impossible. She couldn’t fly through the blizzard – if the magical ponies were having difficulties then there was no way she’d manage it. And she couldn’t walk – the snow was much too thick on the ground for that.

  But as she thanked the robin and let it back outside, Holly had an idea. What if she used her skis? She’d have to swap her diamond shoes for boots, but it would be worth it if she made it to the ball. She took off her shoes, pulled on her boots and grabbed her skis from the cupboard. Then she put on her warm turquoise winter coat over her wrap and dress. She pulled on her gloves, and thought about wearing her woollen hat too – but she really didn’t want to mess up her hair!

  Outside the cold wind blew so hard it hurt Holly’s ears. She held up her umbrella as best she could, and pushed one foot forward in her skis. It hardly moved. She tried the other foot, hoping that she’d gradually get faster, but each time the ski got stuck in the snow. Holly tried lifting her feet up high like flippers, but she was getting nowhere. This was no good – at this rate it would be Boxing Day before she got to the palace!

  Trembling with disappointment, Holly turned round and went back inside her cottage. Sparkling snow dripped from her umbrella a
nd skis. “Oh, I know I love the snow, but I wish it would stop just this once!” she said to herself as she slumped down on to her sofa. But the snow kept falling and whirling around, faster and faster. She’d never seen this much snow in fairyland before – not even at the top of Dream Mountain, which was covered in a blanket of snow in wintertime.

  Holly took off her wrap. She should probably get changed – it was clear she’d never be able to get to the ball. She couldn’t stop the tears that spilled from her eyes as she unzipped her dress. Her heart felt like a cold stone in her chest. She’d never been so disappointed.

  Holly was about to slip out of her ball gown when she noticed something sparkling in the sky. It looked like a shining star. She put a hand to her mouth in thought. It has to be worth a try, doesn’t it? One last chance to get to the ball… Holly had never wished upon a star before, and even though it felt a bit silly, she was desperate enough to try anything. She took a deep breath.

  “Oh, little star, shining bright, help me get to the ball tonight…”

  Holly waited by the window, holding her breath and hoping for some kind of sign … but nothing came. She turned away from the window sadly, and threw some more fairy-dust on to the fire. Then she heard a strange tinkling sound. Was there something wrong with her clock? No, it was still ticking away as usual. But the tinkling noise was getting louder, and it was coming from the window!

  Holly zoomed over to it, her heart thumping. When she looked out, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Standing outside her cottage was a beautiful silver sleigh, pulled by six shining white unicorns. She blinked in disbelief – one, two, three times. But it was still there!

  Suddenly she saw that there was someone in the sleigh – someone with long white hair. Then she realized who it was and her heart nearly stopped completely. The Snow Queen! She was the very special fairy who delivered presents throughout fairyland on Christmas Eve. Holly had only heard about her in fairy tales – she’d never seen her before! The stunning fairy wore a thick white velvet cloak and had the largest wings Holly had ever seen, with shining silver tips. She had long, flowing ice-white hair and piercing light blue eyes.

  Holly opened the window, wondering what to say to the Snow Queen. She’d never dreamt she’d meet her.

  “Um … is everything OK, Snow Queen?” she asked.

  The fairy looked at Holly sadly and shook her head. “Well, no, not really. You see, I was in the middle of delivering the Christmas presents to all the fairies when the snowstorm turned really bad. I’m afraid the unicorns have exhausted themselves trying to fly through the blizzard.”

  They did look tired, Holly realized. They were leaning their heads against each other, and their legs were trembling.

  “But then I saw you looking up as we flew over Sparkle City. I know I don’t usually allow fairies to see me, but this is an impossible situation, and I thought you might be able to help.”

  So that’s what the star was! thought Holly.

  “We desperately need more fairy-dust,” the Snow Queen explained. “The dust will help us fly magically through the air, without the unicorns having to work so hard.”

  Holly gasped. It would be a disaster if the Snow Queen couldn’t get the presents to everyone. All the fairies in fairyland would be so disappointed!

  “Wait there!” said Holly, determined to help.

  She closed the window, then ran into her bedroom, where her flying-piggy bank hovered from the ceiling on a thread of moth-silk. She pulled it down and emptied it out on to her bedside table. There wasn’t as much fairy-dust inside as a few days ago, now that she’d bought so many things for the ball, but Holly had always liked saving. There had to be five handfuls at least! She grabbed two handfuls and ran outside, not thinking about the cold, and flung the magical dust over the unicorns and the sleigh.

  Immediately the unicorns started to perk up, and the sleigh began to sparkle. The Snow Queen smiled. “Thank you, Holly, I’m sure that will help.”

  “I haven’t finished yet – stay there!” Holly zoomed back inside her cottage, picked up two more handfuls of fairy-dust, then carried them back outside and threw them over the sleigh once again.

  “Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said the queen as the sleigh began to rise slowly into the air. “I believe that will work!”

  Holly smiled and waved goodbye to the Snow Queen.

  The beautiful white-haired fairy beamed. “Well, what are you waiting for? Jump in!”

  “Really?” Holly asked in shock.

  “Of course – if we hurry, you’ll be just in time for the ball!”

  “But how did you know I was invited?” Holly asked, surprised.

  The Snow Queen gave her the tiniest wink, and Holly remembered that she was the most magical fairy of them all. Of course she knew Holly was going to the ball. She knew about everything.

  “Just a second!” said Holly. She darted inside and put her dainty ball shoes and faux-fur wrap back on. As she flew outside again she pinched herself, unable to believe she was about to get a ride with the Snow Queen. But the special fairy was right before her eyes, beckoning Holly to sit beside her in the sleigh.

  Holly fluttered up and sat down, and the sleigh rose higher and higher. As they floated upwards Holly watched her little cottage getting smaller, until it was just a tiny dot beneath them. Wow – she really was flying alongside the Snow Queen in a unicorn-pulled sleigh! The snow continued to fall around them, although Holly noticed that it was completely dry in the sleigh. How was that possible?

  “Fairy magic,” the Snow Queen said, as if she’d read Holly’s mind.

  Holly couldn’t stop grinning. She held on tightly as the sleigh whizzed through the air, powered by the fairy-dust. She looked down at Sparkle City below, which looked like a blanket of white sprinkled with Christmas lights.

  “I’ll drop you off at the ball,” said the Snow Queen, “and then continue with my deliveries.”

  “Thank you so much,” said Holly in a small voice. “I really thought I’d never get to the ball!” She looked at the unicorns. Thankfully they seemed much happier now they no longer had to work so hard to fly.

  “Is there anything I can do in return for your help, Holly?” the Snow Queen asked.

  Holly turned to the fairy in surprise. “But you’ve already given me a lift!” She couldn’t think of anything else anyway – she was on the way to the most magical ball in all of fairyland.

  “Oh, taking you to the ball is easy now we’re powered by magic! Are you sure there’s nothing else?”

  Then it came to Holly – there was something she’d like to do…

  “Well, actually, I have two very special friends who helped me get ready for the ball, even though they weren’t invited. I’d like to do something to thank them, but I don’t know what…”

  The Snow Queen smiled and winked. “Leave it with me,” she replied.

  As they approached Glimmershine Palace, Holly’s mouth dropped open in amazement. The grand building looked even more beautiful than usual. Its turrets were dotted with thousands of fairy lights, and the grounds were covered by a carpet of sparkling snow. To Holly’s relief, it didn’t look like the palace had been badly affected by the blizzard. Then she noticed that it wasn’t snowing at all here. Was this fairy magic too?

  The Snow Queen pulled on the reins of the sleigh and they whooshed down towards the palace’s cobbled driveway. Holly couldn’t think of a better way to arrive at a ball!

  “Thank you again, Snow Queen,” said Holly solemnly as the sleigh landed smoothly on a cushion of glistening snow.

  The Snow Queen’s eyes twinkled. “It was my pleasure. I hope you have a magical evening!”

  As soon as Holly had fluttered out of the sleigh, it rose back off the ground and sped into the night, turning into a shining dot in the sky once more. The journey had been so magical that now t
he Snow Queen had vanished, it almost felt like a dream. But Holly knew it was real, because she had made it to the ball against all the odds!

  It wasn’t until she walked through the grand arched doorway of the palace that Holly realized she hadn’t even told the Snow Queen the names of her two best friends. How would she find them?

  In the entrance hall, Holly gazed at the huge glass spiral staircase that wove up through the centre of the palace. It was hung with magnificent gold and silver Christmas garlands and looked so magical – almost as if Holly might find an amazing adventure at the top. She heard someone call her name and looked around to see Princesses Buttercup, Bluebell and Rosa, grinning and waving.

  “Welcome to the Snowflake Ball!” said Rosa, beaming from ear to ear.

  Bluebell gave Holly a hug. “We’re so glad you managed to make it through the blizzard.”

  Holly smiled. “I nearly didn’t!” She was about to tell the fairy princesses all about her lift with the Snow Queen – but then she changed her mind. She didn’t know anyone else who’d seen the Snow Queen, and Holly was worried the princesses might not believe her. “But I’m here now! The palace looks stunning.”

  As the fairy princesses pointed out the Christmas decorations, Violet flew into the hall. “We’ve been working on them for months!” she said.

  Two huge Christmas trees stood either side of the sweeping glass staircase, and these were lit up by hundreds of fairy lights and decorations.

  “The baubles are made from gems that came all the way from Jewel Forest!” Rosa explained.

  Holly fluttered closer to one of the fireplaces. Four very cute stockings made of glittery wool hung from the mantelpiece. “Ooh, where did these come from?” she asked. “I’d love to have one for my mantelpiece at home.”