THE CLOUD

CASTLE

Copyright © 2014 by Edizioni Piemme S.p.A., Palazzo Mondadori, Via

Mondadori 1, 20090 Segrate, Italy. International Rights © Atlantyca

S.p.A. English translation © 2015 by Atlantyca S.p.A.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any

responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

GERONIMO STILTON and THEA STILTON names, characters, and

related indicia are copyright, trademark, and exclusive license of Atlantyca

S.p.A. All rights reserved. The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Based on an original idea by Elisabetta Dami. www.geronimostilton.com

Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered

trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

Stilton is the name of a famous English cheese. It is a registered trademark

of the Stilton Cheese Makers’ Association. For more information, go to

www.stiltoncheese.com.

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are

either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and

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ISBN e-ISBN 978-0-545-83537-4

Text by Thea Stilton

Original title

Il segreto delle Fate delle Nuvole

Cover by Flavio Ferron

Illustrations by Danilo Barozzi, Chiara Balleello, and Barbara Pellizzari

(design), and Alessandro Muscillo (color)

Graphics by Marta Lorini

Special thanks to Tracey West

Translated by Emily Clement

Interior design by Becky James

First edition 2015

Violet

Thea

Paulina

Colette

Nicky

Pamela

Thea Stilton and the Thea Sisters

Ariette

is one of the Weaver Fairies, who

weave the strands that make up the clouds.

She also knows how to read the dreams of

other fairies while they sleep!

The Hundred-Handed Giant

was cursed by a spell and must always

keep his hundred hands busy.

Galatea

is a member of the Grand

Council of Fairies and is best friends

with Ariette.

Queen Nephele

lives in the Cloud Castle

and rules over the Land of Clouds with great

wisdom. Her subjects love her for this, and

for her kindness.

The Land of Clouds

High up, suspended in the clouds, there is an enchanted

fantasy world where everything is light and colorful. It is

the Land of Clouds, where beautiful fairies and mythical

creatures live, ruled by Queen Nephele.

The Color Pixies

love to play

tricks. They live in Fairywing Village and

are also great cooks!

The Wind Elves

are as light as

feathers. They blow the winds that move

the clouds in the sky, and they live in the

Windy Cave.

The Scarlet Lightning Fairies

live in the Valley of Infinite Storm Clouds

and have the most explosive personalities

in the Land of Clouds!

Sleep Fairies

are sweet, kind

creatures who watch over sleep in the

Land of Clouds. They live in Sleep Flower

Woods.

Airavata

is an elephant with seven

trunks who guards the passage into the

Land of Clouds.

King Nebus

rules the Kingdom of

Nimbus and is a just and courageous leader.

He is secretly in love with Queen Nephele.

Summer Is Here!

SUMMER

was in the air at Mouseford

Academy. The students chattered excitedly

in the hallways,

happy

that it was almost

time for vacation. The Thea Sisters walked

out into the school courtyard after their last

marine biology

class.

“I really liked learning about

tropical

fish,” Violet was saying. “I would love to

paint pictures of them during our break.”

Colette got a dreamy look in her eyes. “I

would love to design a dress the color of a

blue starfish

.”

“Well, I’m thinking of doing some

ocean

diving

around here,” Nicky said.

“That’s because you can’t sit still,” Pam

teased. “Me, I think I’ll try to invent a new

recipe for some

SEAFOOD PIZZA

.”

Paulina’s long black braid swung behind

her as she turned to look at Nicky. “I think

diving sounds like fun, too. There are some

old

shipwreck

sites out there,” she said.

“I’ve been researching the history of them.

Some of them are —”

Before she could finish her sentence,

someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was

me,

Thea Stilton

!

“Hi, Thea!” my friends greeted me,

surprised

. I hadn’t told them I was

coming, and I wasn’t

teaching

there that

semester.

“What are you doing here?” Pam asked.

“I have something to tell you,” I said. “Can

you follow me into my office?”

“

What’s going on, Thea?

” Paulina

asked eagerly when we were all settled.

“I was thinking of organizing a class in

fantasy languages

for you, with Will

Mystery from the Seven Roses Unit,” I told

them. “Are you interested?”

The mouselets shared a look and

smiled

happily.

“

Yes!

” they shouted together.

The

SEVEN ROSES UNIT

is an important

department in a top secret research facility.

The unit specializes in fantasy worlds, and

the Thea Sisters and I have helped them

solve several fascinating

MYSTERIES

.

“I know it’s your break,” I went on. “But I

thought brushing up on fantasy languages

would be a

good idea

. This way, if Will

Mystery calls for our

help

again, we’ll be

ready.”

“Of course!” Pam said.

“Does that mean we’ll go to their

headquarters?” Nicky asked. She loves to

travel.

I nodded. “Yes.”

Paulina

happily

clapped her paws. “This

will be more fun than any

vacation

!”

Just then, there was a

knock

on the

office door.

I opened it and found a deliverymouse

there. He was tapping his foot impatiently.

“

You Thea Stilton?

” he asked, in a very

sharp tone.

When I said yes, he didn’t reply — he just

had me sign a receipt, and then thrust a

small package

into my paws.

Top Secret

Communication

“It’s from the

SEVEN ROSES UNIT

!”

Paulina cried, recognizing the symbol

stamped on the package.

Before I could open it, the

squeal

of a

ringtone came from inside. I quickly opened

the box and found a cell phone in it. Will

Mystery’s face

popped up

on the screen,

and I pressed the speakerphone button.

“

WILL!

It’s nice to hear from you,” I said.

“You, too, Thea,” he replied. “Hope you

don’t mind the special-delivery phone. This

phone line is

highly protected

, and

only used in an

emergency

.”

“Is that why you’re calling?” I asked.

“I’m afraid so,” he replied. “There’s a

problem in the

Land of

Clouds

.”

“The Land of Clouds?” I

asked. The Thea Sisters

gathered closer to the

phone,

anxious

to

know more.

“It is one of the

secret

fantasy

worlds

,” he explained. “I believe that it is

in danger.”

“Did a new

CRACK

appear on the map in

the Hall of the Seven Roses?” Nicky asked.

The map was a

MAGICAL

one, and a

crack meant that a fantasy land was in

trouble.

“That’s

exactly

what happened,” Will

confirmed. “I must travel to the Land of

Clouds as soon as possible.”

“Do you need our help?” I asked.

Will Mystery

and the Seven Roses Unit

Will Mystery

He is the head of the Seven Roses Unit, a research team

that studies fantasy worlds — the worlds inhabited by

characters from myths and legends.

Hidden HQ

The headquarters of the Seven Roses Unit is hidden

beneath the ice of Antarctica. Only the members of

the unit know how to find the entrance.

Crystal Pendants

Researchers who work for the unit receive a crystal

pendant in the shape of a rose. It contains their

ID and allows them to open doors throughout

the headquarters.

Thea Stilton and

The Thea Sisters

Thea and her students

became agents of the

Seven Roses Unit due

to their great talent

as investigators. They

work undercover, and

when they receive a

request for help, they

are always ready to

lend a paw.

The MagiCal Map and tHe Crystal Elevator

In the heart of the unit, inside the Hall of the Seven Roses, a magical

map shows all of the fantasy worlds and their state of health. When a

world is in danger, a crack appears on the map. Also in the hall is the

crystal elevator, which leads directly to the fantasy worlds. Only Will

Mystery can operate it.

“Of course!” said Will. “That’s why I called

you. You are the

perfect

agents for this

job. When can you leave?”

I looked at the Thea Sisters, who were

beaming

with excitement.

“

Right

away!

” I replied.

Will smiled. “Great! I will send our

helicopter to pick you up at

SUNSET

.”

“We’ll be ready,” I promised.

The call ended and I turned to my students.

Everyone’s eyes

shone

with enthusiasm.

Fasten Your

Seat belts!

“

Ready?

” I asked, standing in the doorway

of Pam and Colette’s room. The Thea Sisters

had gathered there to finish their final

packing.

“I just need to find my

brush

,” Colette said,

looking through all her

drawers. “That Antarctic

air can be tough on my

fur

. Ah, here it is!”

We headed outside as

the sun was setting. Luckily, all the other

students and teachers were inside the

DINING

HALL

for dinner, and they didn’t notice us

leave. That’s always important when you’re

on a

top secret mission

.

“What a lovely evening,” Violet said,

looking at the

pink-tinged

sky.

We hurried to the heliport down by the

docks.

“

There it is!

” Paulina cried,

pointing upward.

A helicopter

rapidly

descended toward

us without making a sound. When it landed,

we saw the

symbol

of the Seven Roses

Unit on its side.

The door of the aircraft opened, and the

pilot signaled for us to board.

“I’m Agent 927,” he said. “Welcome!”

I sat next to him. “Thank you, Agent. This

is a

very quiet

helicopter.”

“It’s an E-67 Ultrasonic,” he informed me.

“It’s as quiet as a

RAT

sneaking through a

cat

convention.”

Pam laughed. “That’s pretty quiet.”

We all took our seats.

“

Fasten your seat belts!

” the pilot

ordered.

We obeyed, and seconds later the helicopter

rose up as silently as a leaf lifted by the

WIND.

Below us, the lights of Mouseford Academy

turned on one by one. Soon, our beloved

island became just a

tiny

dot in the middle

of the sea.

Into the Iceberg

Before we knew it, we could see

Antarctica

below us.

“This helicopter is really fast,” I remarked.

“The E-67 is as fast as a

RAT

being chased

out of a

cat

convention,” Agent 927 said.

“I think he needs to work on some new

jokes,” Pam whispered to Nicky.

It was dark outside, but in the distance I

could see a huge

white

iceberg

gleaming in the moonlight. The helicopter

was flying

DANGEROUSLY

CLOSE

to it!

“We’re going to hit it!” cried Colette.

But our pilot just stared calmly ahead.

We moved

closer

and

closer

to the iceberg. I was about to grab the

controls myself when Agent 927 pushed a

button

. . . and a hole opened up in the

iceberg!

The pilot expertly flew the helicopter into

the opening, and we dropped into a

vertical tunnel.

“

Holey

cheese!

” yelled a shocked

Pam. “We’re descending into the iceberg!”

We were all surprised. The Thea Sisters

pressed their noses against the windows so

they wouldn’t miss a moment of the

incredible maneuver

. At the bottom

of the tunnel I saw a platform with the

symbol of the Seven Roses Unit on it. The

helicopter landed on it, and the pilot turned

off the motor.

When we stepped out of the helicopter,

WILL MYSTERY

was waiting for us.

“Good to see you!” I said.

“Did you have a good trip?” he asked.

I looked over at Agent 927. “It was

definitely

exciting

!” I replied.

“That tunnel is amazing!” said Nicky. “Is it

new?”

Will nodded. “It’s our newest entrance.

The iceberg is the

perfect cover

,” he said.

“And what do you think of the E-67?”

Pam grinned. “It’s as quiet as a

RAT

sneaking through a

cat

convention, and

just as fast,” she said, and her friends laughed.

Will shook his head. “You sound like Agent

927.”

“But seriously, it’s quite

exceptional

,”

said Paulina. “I can’t believe how quickly it

got us here.”

Colette nodded. “It’s a shame we can’t use

it to travel to the

fantasy worlds

.”

Will’s smile faded. “That reminds me, we

must get moving. Please follow me. There is

something I need to

show

you.”

THE SEVEN ROSES UNIT

1. Landing platform

2. Interior elevator

3. Access to the iceberg

4. Hall of the Seven Roses

5. Supercomputer station

6. Break room

7. Research laboratory

8. Wardrobe storage room

Will led us to the Hall of the Seven Roses. It

has

beautiful

columns,

spectacular

statues, and the

incredible

living

map

on the ceiling, floor, and walls.

Will used a laser pointer to show us the

part of the map that depicted the Land of

Clouds.

“See?” he asked in a worried voice, aiming

the pointer between two

blue clouds

.

“There’s a

CRACK

, just like you said,” I

replied.

“Yes, and unfortunately it’s getting

longer

every day,” he explained.

“A crack means that something

BAD

is

happening there, right?” asked Nicky.

No Time

to Waste!

Will nodded. “Yes, sadly.”

“

That’s

terrible!

” said Paulina.

“But we can try to help,” Will said. “Let’s

head to the supercomputer and see what we

can find out.”

We left the Hall of the Seven Roses and

entered a hallway with cool

metal

floors and walls. Will stopped in front of a

door and passed his crystal rose pendant in

front of a

scanner

. After he said his name

out loud, the door opened.

We stepped into the

supercomputer

station

. The machine inside contained all

of the information about fantasy worlds that

the researchers had collected.

Will sat down at the keyboard and began

to type, his paws moving

SWIFTLY

. Fast

sequences of numbers and letters scrolled on

the

enormouse

screen

in front of us.

LAND OF CLOUDS

Then Will typed in a single phrase: “

Land

of Clouds

.

”

The computer gently

hummed

.

“This may take a while,” Will said. “We’ve

collected a lot of data over the years.”

We stared at the screen,

waiting

for it

to retrieve the information. Finally, an image

appeared.

“

Here we go

,” Will said, and he began

to read aloud the story of the

Land of

Clouds.

QUEEN NEPHELE

THE CLOUD FAIRIES

Queen Nephele rules the

Land of Clouds with the

assistance of the Grand

Council of Fairies.

According to legend, the Cloud Fairies have lived

in the sky since the start of time. There are many

kinds of Cloud Fairies. One type, the Weaver

Fairies, produce a silver thread when they dream

at night. During the day, they use this thread

to weave the clouds.

THE CLOUD CASTLE

The queen and her council dwell in the beautiful Cloud Castle. It

constantly changes location because it is suspended by the air

currents that crisscross the kingdom.

THE THIRTEEN-STAR

DIAMOND

The entrance to the Land of

Clouds will only open when

thirteen stars in the sky align to

form the shape of a diamond. This

passageway can be found on the

world’s highest peak.

“We must

travel

to the Land of

Clouds as soon as possible,” Will said. “There

is no time to waste.”

“So let’s

HOP

ON

that crystal

elevator!” Nicky said eagerly.

Will frowned. “The

CRACK

in the

map is very deep. The elevator

might be too

dangerous

.”

“So to get there, we need to use the other

entrance . . . the one on the world’s

highest

peak,” I reasoned.

Will nodded. “Exactly!”

“That’s

MOUNT

EVEREST

!”

*

Violet

cried.

“Yes. With a summit at 29,035 feet, it’s the

highest point

on Earth,” Will said.

“

Cheese and crackers!

I can’t even

imagine being that high,” said Pam.

“And I love mountain climbing, but

climbing Everest is a real challenge,” Nicky

pointed out. “How will we do that?”

“We’ll take the

helicopter

,” said Will.

“Is it safe, at that altitude?” I asked.

“The

E-67

can do things other copters

can’t,” Will reminded me. “But before we

head out, we need more information.”

*

Mount Everest is part of the Himalayan mountain range

and is located in Nepal. At 29,035 feet, it’s the highest

mountain on Earth.

A Diamond in

the Sky

“Can the computer tell us exactly where the

entrance to the

Land of Clouds

is?” Violet

asked.

Will started typing on the keyboard. What

popped

up

on the big screen

surprised

all of us. Instead of a map with GPS

coordinates, the image of a fantastical

elephant

appeared on the screen! It had

seven trunks, and each one was a different

color of the

rainbow.

“How beautiful,” Colette said.

“And there’s a

story

that goes with it,”

said Paulina.

The room grew silent as we all read the

story on the screen.

THE LEGEND OF THE ELEPHANT

OF THE CLOUDS

The voice of the mountain tells the story of a creature

gifted with extraordinary strength, but also with

infinite kindness.

The winds that buffet the peaks repeat his name

like a song: Airavata. He resembles an elephant with

seven long trunks. With them, he sprays water into the

sky and creates thick clouds. Legend says these clouds

float all the way up to the stars, to the enchanted Land

of Clouds.

The entrance to this magical land is located in

Airavata’s home: the great

Diamond Rock on top

of Mount Everest.

The Rock shines

all day and night

like the brightest

of stars

—

but

only those with a

watchful eye and

a pure heart can

spot it.

“So we need to search for a

LEGENDARY

ROCK

that is hidden from plain sight,”

Paulina said thoughtfully.

“And don’t forget,” Violet added, “the

entrance to the Land of Clouds only opens

when

thirteen stars

in the sky form a

diamond.”

“Then let’s take a telescope outside and see

if we’re

lucky

,” Will said.

We all went to the wardrobe room and

bundled up in jackets, scarves, and hats. We

were ready for the cold of

Antarctica

!

Will handed a scarf to

Paulina, and their paws

touched briefly. They both

blushed

a little bit.

Those two had admired

each other since our first

mission. It made sense

to me, since they were both drawn to

researching

like mice are drawn to cheese.

We all boarded the elevator to the surface

of the ice.

WHOOSH!

It lifted us up through

headquarters. Outside, the

sky

was a

dark blue storm of stars.

“It’s like a beautiful painting,” Violet said.

Suddenly, something bright

streaked

across the sky.

“

A shooting star!

” said Paulina.

“Make a wish, everyone!” Nicky said.

And so we did, in the silence of the icy

polar night. It was Colette who brought us

out of our thoughts.

“Should we be looking for a

DIAMOND

?”

she asked.

“You’re always thinking about jewelry,”

Pam teased.

We all laughed, including Colette.

Meanwhile, Will had set up his telescope

and was

SEARCHING

the sky.

“I think I found them!” he said. “We’re

lucky. The

thirteen stars

are almost in

position. Look!”

I looked through the lens of the telescope.

Will was right.

“It’s true. They’re almost in the shape of a

perfect

DIAMOND

,” I said.

“There’s no time to lose,” Will said. “I’ll

tell Agent 927 to get the

helicopter

ready. We’ve got to get to Mount Everest and

search for

Diamond Rock

before the

entrance to the Land of Clouds opens!”

On the World’s

Highest Peak

We immediately went back down into

headquarters and Will led us toward a

storage room that contained the

clothes

and

tools

needed for any kind of

mission.

As we

hurried

down a long hallway,

an agent approached Will.

“Everything’s ready. The helicopter is

waiting for you on the platform,” she said.

Will nodded. “

Thank

you

. We’ll be

there in a moment.”

The agent left, and we entered the big

storage room. Equipment filled the shelves

that lined the walls. Racks held clothes

suitable for any kind of climate, from

extreme heat

to

extreme cold.

“

Great chunks of cheddar!

” said

Pam. “There’s so much cool stuff here. This

is better than an all-you-can-eat cheese

buffet. Well, almost.”

Will laughed. “We’ll need some

mountain-

climbing

gear and some

oxygen

masks,”

he said, pulling equipment from the shelves.

“The unit has made some great advances in

technology.”

I was a little bit

worried

. “Will,

summiting Everest is a challenge for seasoned

mountain climbers. I’m not sure we’ll be able

to do this.”

“Seasoned mountain climbers don’t have

the unit’s special equipment,” Will replied.

“It will give us a real

ADVANTAGE

.”

I nodded. “That makes me feel better.”

“I have

faith

in all of you,” Will said.

“But if any of you feel like you’re

struggling

, let me know immediately.”

“

We promise!

” the Thea Sisters all said.

Once all the gear was packed up, we

headed back to the

helicopter

and got

on board.

Our new

mission

was beginning!

As quietly as before, the helicopter

ascended the

tunnel

and flew up into the

night sky. Then we began our

impossibly

fast

journey north and east to Nepal.

Before we knew it, Will was pointing out

the

snow-capped

peak of Mount Everest,

silhouetted against the pink

morning sky.

“There it is,” he said.

“It’s truly

majestic

,” I said admiringly.

“I reminds me of the Andes, back home in

Peru,” Paulina said. “Even though the

mountains

there aren’t as high.”

“Who knows? Maybe we’ll have an

adventure

there one day,” Will said, and

Paulina smiled.

“Where should I land?” Agent 927 asked.

Will leaned forward, trying to spot

Diamond Rock

.

“I think I see something

sparkling

over

there,” he said. “Can we get closer?”

The

pilot

kept the copter steady as he

flew toward the

glittering

snow.

“Whatever is down there, it’s shining like a

star

, just like the computer said,” Will

remarked.

“And it can only be seen by a watchful

EYE

and a pure heart,” Paulina reminded

him.

“I think maybe it can only be seen if you

know to

look

for it,” I reasoned.

“Hold on!” Agent 927 cried suddenly.

“We’ve got

HEAVY WINDS

!”

Danger at High

Altitude!

We held on to our seats as the wind

shook

the helicopter.

“I can’t land here,” the pilot reported. “But

I can try a little farther down the peak. You’ll

have to

hike

up.”

We all agreed that was the safest thing to

do. We landed, and an

icy

wind

blasted us as we stepped out onto

the mountain.

“Strange,” Will said, looking

around. “There are

clouds

up by the peak, but everywhere

else the sky is

blue

.”

We followed his gaze. He

was right.

“It’s so beautiful, but I’ve never been so

cold!” Colette remarked. “Luckily, I have my

cocoa-butter-and-

honey lip balm

, perfect

for the coldest climates. It

comes in twelve shades of

pink. I’m thinking that antique

rose might complement the high-altitude sky

the most, don’t you?”

We all laughed, and Pam took a small,

round tin from her pocket.

“I brought some

shea

butter

,” she said.

“It might not be pink, but it’s great at

protecting your lips from the cold.”

Will took some. “Thanks, Pam!” he said.

“Now, let’s get going before we

freeze

!”

He opened his pack and handed each of us

an

ice

hammer

to help with the

steep climb. Then we headed toward the

peak in single file, with Will at the lead. The

wind blasted us with every step we took.

These were the most

EXTREME

conditions

I had ever experienced!

We didn’t get far before

Will stopped us and took

out the

oxygen

masks

that he had

showed us before.

“At this altitude,

breathing

becomes

more difficult, because the higher you climb,

the less oxygen there is in the air,” he

explained. “But Seven Roses Unit scientists

have developed these supercompact oxygen

masks. Put these on and you’ll see how much

easier it is to breathe.”

We quickly put on the

masks

, and I

could immediately feel a difference.

“We can’t stop here for long,” I said. “We’ll

risk

freezing

if we do.”

Will checked to make sure our masks were

on correctly, and we were on our way. In the

distance, we could all see Diamond

Rock shining like a

brightstar.

We hiked toward it, our mountain-climbing

boots

crunching

the snow.

We had to cross a vast stretch of

WHITENESS. It was difficult to even tell how

far we had to go. No one spoke for a while.

Suddenly, we heard a shout.

It was Paulina. The ice had opened up

beneath her, and she was

slipping

into a

crevasse — a break in the ice. This one was

just a few feet wide.

We all watched

helplessly

as Paulina

was swallowed by the crevasse.

“Paulina!” Nicky yelled, rushing toward

the

CRACK

. But Will held her back.

“It’s

dangerous

,” he said. “We have to do

this slowly and carefully.” He took a strong,

thin climbing rope from his pack.

I slowly

inched

my way toward the

crevasse.

“Paulina? Are you hurt?” I called down.

“No, but I can’t climb out!” she replied.

“I’ll

cli

m

b

do

w

n

and get her,” Nicky

offered right away. I could see how badly she

wanted to help her friend.

Will nodded. “Okay. But go

slowly

, all

right?”

Nicky agreed, and Will harnessed the rope

to her. He tied the other end around a

large rock

.

“Hold on tightly as you descend,” he told

Nicky. “We’ll keep the rope

steady

up here.”

Nicky nodded, and then slowly but

confidently used the rope to

climb down

into the crevasse. We all held our breath.

Would Nicky be able to

save

Paulina?

The Ice Cave

“

Here they come!

” Colette cried as

she, Will, Pam, Violet, and I pulled on the

rope with all our strength. Paulina climbed

out of the crevasse first, followed by Nicky.

“I’m so glad you’re

safe

and sound

!” I said.

There were

hugs

all

around. We were all relieved

that no one had been hurt.

That fall could have happened

to any of us.

“

Diamond

Rock

isn’t

far ahead,” Will said, pointing,

and we continued our journey.

After what had happened to

Paulina, we watched the ice

with each step we took.

Snowflakes

started to

swirl

around us, making it even

more difficult to move forward.

“I can’t feel my legs anymore,” Violet

confessed.

“You said it, Vi,” Colette agreed. “And I

am going to need a ton of

fur

conditioner

once we get out of this wind!”

“Maybe they serve

PIZZA

at Diamond

Rock,” Pam said hopefully.

Nicky shook her head. “Really, Pam?”

“Hey, an elephant’s got to eat, right?” Pam

asked. “Even a

mythical

one.”

“Now that you mention it, how can we be

sure that Airavata really lives there?” Colette

asked. “He could just be a

legend

.”

“In the Seven Roses Unit, we have learned

that most legends are based on

truth

,”

Will said.

Just then, I thought I heard a

sound

.

“Did you hear that?” I asked.

Pam shook her head. “No. What did it

sound like?”

“Like the ringing of a

bell

, or something

similar,” I replied.

“Maybe it was just the

wind

,” Nicky

suggested.

Finally, the

glittering

structure that

we thought must be Diamond Rock was

within reach. We climbed up one last

steep incline

, and then we were

standing in front of it.

“

Holey cheese!

” Pam exclaimed.

“I have never seen anything like this,” Will

said, his voice filled with wonder.

Diamond

Rock

shimmered before

us. It seemed like it was made of ice, but a

closer look revealed that the shine came from

bright crystals

. There was a big hole

in the rock, like the mouth of a cave.

We hurried to take

refuge

inside. Once

again, I swore I heard the sound of

bells

.

“Thea, I hear the

bells

, too,” Will said

before I could even open my mouth.

“There must be someone inside the cave,”

Paulina guessed.

“It could be

Airavata

himself!” Nicky

said, her eyes

GLEAMING

with

excitement.

Violet looked thoughtful. “The computer

didn’t say anything about bells, though.”

Will started handing out

flashlights

.

“We’ve come this far. Let’s keep going.”

We slowly made our way into the

cave

—

and soon found that the path was blocked by

a wall of ice.

“It looks like a

frozen

waterfall

,”

Colette remarked.

Will and I approached the wall, studying it.

“It’s not a

SOLID

wall,” I said. “There are

thin openings between the frozen waves of

water, see?”

Will nodded. “I think I

can get through this one.”

He took off his backpack

and

slipped

through the

opening.

A few seconds later, he

stuck his head out. “The

passage continues. Let’s

keep

moving

.”

We squeezed through

the

NARROW

opening one by

one and made our way

through the passageway

beyond it. The crystal walls

gleamed

every time

our flashlights hit them.

“It reminds me of a

fairy-tale

illustration,”

Violet said, looking around wide-eyed.

The farther we went, the warmer it became

in the cave. It was so odd. It felt like

spring

!

“Let’s take off our climbing gear,” suggested

Will. “We’ll be able to move more

quickly

without it.”

We stashed our gear behind a

ROCK

and

made our way farther down the passageway.

Soon, we heard the sound of

bells

once

again. Now, they were closer.

The passage opened up into what looked

like a

GRAND AMPHITHEATER

.

“This place is

amazing

!” Pam said,

spinning around in wonder.

Jingle!

Jingle!

“My fur is standing on end with excitement,”

said Colette, shivering a little. “I have such a

strange

feeling — like we’re about to

encounter something wonderful.”

“I’m feeling it, too,” Paulina said, and the

rest of us nodded in agreement.

I pointed my

flashlight

ahead of us.

“Look — stairs!” I said.

I shone my flashlight up the steps. At the

top was a platform . . . and what we saw on

the platform made us

gasp

in wonder.

An enormouse

elephant

stood up there.

He had seven trunks, one in each color of

the

rainbow.

. Around his legs he wore

gold

bracelets

decorated with

tiny bells that rang with each step. He moved

slowly, swaying as if he were

dancing

.

And he was heading right for us!

Airavata, the

Enchanted

Elephant

“Lower your flashlights,” I said, worried that

the light might be bothering the elephant.

Our eyes took a moment to get used to the

SHADOWY DARKNESS

.

The creature moved closer to us,

accompanied by the

jangling

of bells.

He was

huge

and

STRONG

, but I sensed

a gentleness about him.

“I am

Airavata

, master of this mountain,

and of the winds, the snow, and the clouds

here. Who are you?” he demanded in a deep

voice.

Will took a step forward. “My name is Will

Mystery and I am a researcher. This is my

team.”

“We study

fantasy worlds

,” Will replied.

“And we are here because we are trying to

reach the Land of Clouds.”

The elephant’s

EYES

widened. Then he

was silent.

“Please excuse us for entering your

cave

without your permission. We did not mean

to disturb you,” Violet said. “But we know

that you are the only one who can point out

the

secret

passage

to the Land

of Clouds.”

The elephant’s

yellow

trunk reached for

Violet and sniffed around her. I could see

that she was a little

afraid

, but she stayed

still.

Then the elephant did the same with all of

us. Finally, he pulled back his trunk.

“You all have

pure hearts

, and you are

telling the truth,” he announced. “Now

explain to me why you want to go up there,

among the silver clouds.”

“The Land of Clouds is in

danger

,”

Paulina explained. “We believe that

something very

serious

is happening there.”

Airavata didn’t seem surprised to hear

this. He shook his large head, and his seven

trunks

waved

from side to side.

“I don’t know how you found out, but you

are right,” he revealed. “For some time, the

fairies have no longer been

weaving

clouds.

I am the only one who creates them now, so

at least it will

snow

on the mountain.”

“Then this must be the danger that is

threatening

the Land of Clouds,” Paulina

realized. “If the fairies aren’t weaving any

more clouds, sooner or later their entire

world is in danger of

disappearing

, right?”

“I’m afraid so,”

Airavata replied

sadly.

“We must find

out why this is

happening,” said

Colette.

“

Can you please

help us?

” Pam asked

the elephant.

He nodded. “Very well.

I will help you. Follow me.”

He took us down a

passageway that led

deep

into the

mountain — but somehow

emerged outside on a ledge,

with

blue sky

above us!

Airavata pointed his seven

trunks toward the sky and began to blow,

shooting out sprays of water. Once the water

drops

hit the cold air they became tiny

crystals. The crystals began to form a

large, marvelous

cloud.

We gazed at the scene

before us,

astonished.

“But where do you get the water to

spray

?” asked Nicky.

“I suck it up from a

secret

lake

in the

mountain,” Airavata replied.

He shot another

spray

of water into the

sky, creating a huge

bank of clouds

.

Then he looked at us.

“Very well, my friends.

The road to the

Land of Clouds is open!

” he announced.

“But how do we get there?” Will asked.

“It’s very simple,” Airavata replied. “You

must climb the

clouds

and follow

the

path

that I have created for you.”

“I will help you start,” Airavata said. He

reached out a

trunk

toward Will and

grabbed him around the waist with it, then

lifted

him onto the clouds.

But as soon as Will’s feet

hit the

clouds

, he

began to

sink

through

them. Airavata quickly

brought him back down

to the ledge.

“It didn’t work!” Will

said, disappointed.

“

I’ll try!

” Colette

offered.

Airavata picked her

Airavata’s

Poetry

up with a trunk and set her down on the

clouds. But even she couldn’t manage to

stand

on them for more than a few seconds.

“Why can’t Will or Colette stand on the

clouds?” I asked.

“Only the

light

can walk on the clouds,”

Airavata replied.

“But I’m in great shape!” Colette protested.

“I am speaking of lightness of the

heart

and

soul

,” the elephant explained. “You

have

pure

hearts

, so you should be able

to do it. But something is holding you back.”

“What can we do?” asked Paulina.

“You must believe in your

deepest

wishes

and your most

secret

dreams

,”

Airavata said. “Only then will you be light

enough to stand on the clouds.”

“But we do

believe

in our dreams,”

Violet said confidently.

“Maybe not always,” the elephant said

wisely. “It is normal to have doubts. But you

must believe that anything is

possible

,

even when things look bleak. Only then will

your heart be

free

to carry you above it all,

to take you where

dreams

are born.”

“Those are beautiful words,” I said.

Airavata smiled. “Now, listen,” he began,

and then he recited a

POEM

. As he

spoke, his words were spelled out in

silver

threads

in the clouds overhead.

“That is a

wonderful

poem,” Colette

said.

“Repeat it to yourself when you land on

the clouds,” Airavata said. “It will make you

feel

free

and

light

, so you won’t sink.”

We read the poem written overhead, trying

to remember the words. Then, one by one,

Airavata

lifted

us onto the clouds.

Your journey starts

on solid ground.

First take a leap.

You’re skyward bound!

Your dreams await you

high in the sky.

If you have a pure heart,

then you shall fly.

Spread your wings.

Let your heart lead the way.

Forget your troubles.

Shine your love like a ray.

When you tread the clouds,

keep your steps light as air.

Stay on the path.

Keep your mind free from care.

I repeated the poem in my mind, and I think

everyone else did, too. This time, we didn’t

sink

!

We all looked at our feet, squeakless. We

were standing on a soft,

wispy

layer of

clouds!

“We’re walking on clouds!” exclaimed a

surprised Paulina.

“

Thank you!

” we all told the elephant.

He responded with a

powerful

trumpeting

. We waved good-bye, and then

began to climb the cloud pathway he had

created for us.

The Silver

Gate

“Is that a

SIGN

up ahead?” Paulina asked,

pointing.

“It is!” Colette said

happily

as we got

closer. “It’s pointing the way to the

Land of

Clouds

!”

“We must be close,” said Violet, and she

shivered with

excitement

. “I wonder what

we will find there!”

Nicky was at the

rear of the line.

She looked

behind her,

and suddenly

cried out.

“The clouds

Land of

Clouds

behind us are

disappearing

!”

“Then we’d better get

MOVING

,” I said.

We picked up our pace toward the sign along

the path of

fluffy

clouds.

I cast a glance behind me. It made me a

little nervous to see the clouds

vanishing

.

“Is there another

SIGN

up there?” Colette

asked anxiously.

Then Will spotted something. “Not a sign,

but I see something else. Look!”

Just ahead, we could see a tall

SILVER

GATE

attached to two columns. It shone

like a piece of jewelry and was decorated

with

birds

on top of the posts.

We approached the gate, admiring its

beauty.

“This must be the entrance,” Will said.

“But it’s

locked

, and we don’t have a

key

,” Paulina pointed out.

Nicky gave the doors a

push

, but they

didn’t budge.

“Now what?” Violet asked.

“Where there’s a gate, there must be a

gatekeeper,” I said. Then I called out, “

Hello!

Is

anyone

there?

Can you please open the

gate for us?”

I got no reply at first. Then, amazingly, the

two columns holding up the gate began to

spin around. And a

winged creature

flew out of each column!

The Fairy

Guardians

The two

winged creatures

stared

at us with

icy

blue

eyes. They looked like

fairies of some kind, with long blue hair that

sparkled

. Each one had a thin gold crown

around her forehead.

Before any of us could speak, one of them

grasped a small

harp

that was attached to

a gold chain around her neck. She

started to play a sweet

melody

with low, serious tones. Then the

second fairy grasped her harp

and began to play in

harmony

with the first.

“Should we

say something

to them?”

Colette whispered.

“It would be rude to

interrupt

them

while they are playing,” Paulina said. “We

should wait until they are done.”

We listened for a few more minutes, but

the fairies showed no sign of

ending

their

song.

“Hmm,” said Will thoughtfully. “Maybe

they are trying to communicate through

music

.”

I nodded. “I think you’re right. The music

might be their

language

. By playing,

they are trying to tell us something.”

Paulina looked excited. “That makes sense!

The crystal elevator in the Seven Roses Unit

responds to

musical

commands.”

“But what are they saying?” Colette asked.

“I have no idea,” I admitted.

I noticed that Will was rummaging through

his backpack.

“Now,

WHERE IS IT

?” he was muttering.

After a few moments of searching, he

pulled a

yellow

instrument from the

backpack — a recorder. We all watched him

curiously

as he brought the recorder to

his lips.

Will began to play

a tune. It was a

melody

all his

own, but it perfectly

matched the tune being

played by the two fairies.

The

sweet

tones

of the

recorder melded with the

clean tones of the two

harps. The sound

was truly beautiful!

“I wish I had my

violin

with me,”

Violet said wistfully. “I would join in!”

We stood there listening,

enchanted

,

until suddenly the two fairies stopped

playing. They let go of their harps and

listened carefully to Will play his recorder.

Then they whispered to each other, smiling.

As if by magic, the silver gate slowly

opened

!

Will stopped playing his recorder. “

We

did it!

” he cheered.

“Well done, Will,” I said. “It’s a good thing

you had that recorder with you.”

“

Music

is very important in fantasy

lands, so I always bring an instrument with

me,” Will said. “A good agent is

ALWAYS

PREPARED

.”

“And how did you know what to play?”

Violet asked.

“I simply tried to meld with the music the

fairies were playing,” Will explained. “After

the first few notes, the tune just came

flowing

through me.”

“It sounded

beautiful

,” Paulina said.

“It did,” Colette agreed. “But maybe we

should

GO

through the gates before these

two lovely fairies change their minds.”

She pointed to them, and they both looked

at us with very

SERIOUS

expressions.

“Good thinking, Colette,” Pam said.

We quickly passed through the gates,

smiling and nodding

politely

at the fairies.

“Thank you,” I said.

Then, to my surprise, they began to speak.

“We are the

Fairy

Guardians

of the

Land

of

Clouds

,” they sang together.

“Welcome! It is a pleasure to have friends of

music visit our world.”

“And it is an

honor

for us to visit,” Will

said. “Thank you for opening the silver gates

for us.”

“Yes, thank you,” the

Thea Sisters

said.

The fairies smiled back at us, and we were

all struck by their

beauty

. Then, without

another word, each one slipped back inside

her

column

, leaving us alone.

“It was very nice of them to let us in,”

Colette said, “but I wish they hadn’t left so

quickly. I had a

million

questions for

them!”

Will nodded. “Yes, I would have liked to

ask for directions to the

Cloud

Castle

.”

“That would have been nice,” I agreed.

“But somehow we always manage to find our

way to where we need to go.”

Violet nodded. “Things can be very

magical

in these fantasy lands.”

All we could see ahead of us was an

enormouse expanse of clouds.

“They look like

whipped

cream

,”

Pam remarked.

We looked around, enchanted, as the silver

gates closed behind us.

“How do we know where to go?” Paulina

wondered. “There is no

clear

path.”

“Maybe we’ll find another

SIGN

,” Colette

suggested.

So we started walking straight ahead.

“It’s like we’re walking on

cotton

The Riddles of the

Wind Elves

candy

,” Pam remarked.

“First whipped cream, now cotton candy.

You must be

hungry

, Pam!” Nicky said.

“Come on, Nicky,” Pam said. “You know

that I’m

always

hungry!”

We all laughed, and kept walking. Soon a

strong

GUST

OF

WIND

chilled our

fur, and

gray

clouds

appeared in the sky.

“Look!” Paulina said, amazed. “There are

tiny winged creatures up there!”

She was right. The strange beings were

aiming

GOLD

TRUMPETS

at the

clouds and blowing into them.

“Hello!” I called out. They didn’t notice.

“Maybe

music

is their language, too,”

Violet guessed.

“I don’t think so,” said Will. “Their

trumpets aren’t making any sound. But

maybe we can get their attention another

way. Follow my lead.”

Will took a

deep breath

, then blew

hard toward the clouds. We all did the same.

The winged creatures stopped blowing

into their trumpets and

STARED

at us,

annoyed.

“

5+2

dare disturb the work of the Wind

Elves!” one exclaimed.

“

2x3+1

clouds they must move!” said

another.

“

12÷4

times will the Wind Elves blow

them away!” threatened a third elf.

“

NO!

WAIT!

” Will

interrupted them. “Excuse

us, please. We didn’t mean

to

disturb

you. We are

trying to reach the Cloud

Castle. Can you help us?”

“

3 x 3 - 7

math riddles of the Wind

Elves must you solve first,” a fourth elf said.

Paulina understood right away. “So we

have to solve two

math riddles

?”

“Correct,” the elf replied, and the four

elves huddled together, whispering. Then the

first one spoke:

“Here is a lovely sight:

4 gray clouds and 3 white.

1 is purple, and 5 are blue.

But 3 blue float off, leaving 2.

How many clouds are in the sky?

You have 30 seconds to reply!”

The second elf took an hourglass full of

colorful crystals out of his pocket. He turned

it over and began to count down as the

crystals fell, one by one.

“

30

29

28

”

We all concentrated on finding the answer.

“

10

clouds!

” Paulina suddenly cried.

The elves were

surprised

. Only 17

crystals had fallen through the hourglass.

One elf cried, “Exactly! And

10+3

crystals

remain. Congratulations!”

“

Good job, Paulina!

” we cheered.

But the elves soon had a second math

riddle for us.

“Listen closely, and please think.

There are 3 blue clouds and 2 pink.

Each blue cloud has 2 drops of rain.

Each pink cloud has 3 drops of rain.

How many drops of rain are in the sky?

You have 30 seconds to reply!”

The same elf turned over the

hourglass.

“You could have given us some

warning,” Colette muttered as we

all tried to

solve

the math riddle.

This time, I had the answer first.

“

12!

” I cried, after only a few

crystals

had fallen.

We looked at the elf, waiting to see if I was

correct.

“

Correct

,” he said. “You have been

very clever. Now you will receive the answer

you seek.”

we cheered.

“Thank you,” said Will. “Can you please

tell us how to get to the Cloud Castle?”

“It’s difficult to say,” the first elf replied.

“The Cloud Castle is

ALWAYS MOVING.

If you like, one of us could stay with you as

your guide.”

Violet said.

Without another word, the Wind Elves

positioned themselves behind the clouds and

began to

blow.

One of them waved good-bye to the others

and blew his little

cloud

toward us. He

settled right over our heads, as if he was

waiting for a

command

.

“Well now, what do we do?” Nicky asked,

looking up at the elf. But the elf said nothing.

“Maybe we should start

walking

,”

Colette suggested, and she took a few steps

forward. As she moved, the elf moved, too.

“It looks like he’s coming with us,” Paulina

said.

The elf

quickly

took the lead. We

followed him as he continued to push his

little cloud

forward with his trumpet.

The

Enchanted

Woods

The elf led us to another signpost in the

clouds.

“

The Enchanted Woods

,” I read aloud.

“That name sounds a little

spooky

,”

Colette said with a shiver.

“Well, the

elf

seems

to think it’s the way to

go,” I said, looking up

at him.

So we followed the

sign to a staircase

made of

clouds.

It led us to a forest —

and the

trees

were

made of clouds, too!

The Enchanted

Woods

“It’s like something from a fairy tale,”

Violet said.

“Yes, but let’s hope a

wicked

witch

doesn’t live here,” said Pam.

We walked toward the strange,

fluffy

trees. Everything was cloaked in a strange

Nooooo!

silence.

Then, Colette suddenly let

out a cry.

“Nooooo!”

she wailed.

“Heeeeeelp!” yelled Violet.

I rushed over to them, but

before I could reach them, I

stopped,

confused.

The fluffy trees around me had disappeared.

Instead, I was back in the

garden at

Mouseford Academy!

I froze, shocked. How could I have gotten

there? And it looked

different

from how

I remembered it. The buildings were

CRACKED

and there were no students in sight.

Then an

OLD

RODENT

slowly walked

toward me, leaning on a cane.

“Professor de Mousus!” I said, recognizing

the academy’s headmaster. My heart was

beating

quickly.

“What is going on?”

But the headmaster didn’t reply. He just

shook his head with a

sad

look on his face.

“Thea! Thea!” I heard a voice, and someone

touched my arm.

I woke up, as if from a

dream,

and

saw Will standing next to me.

“Help me, Will!” I said. “We must help

Professor de Mousus!”

“No, Thea, the professor is not here,” Will

said.

“Yes, he is!” I insisted. “But he’s old, and

the academy is in

ruins,

and he needs

our help!”

“It’s just an

illusion,

Thea,” Will told me.

“You are seeing your fears come true. It’s a

trick of the Enchanted Woods.”

“What?” I asked. I was seeing the professor

with my own

EYES!

“I don’t understand.

How can this be an illusion?”

“The clouds here take the form of the

fears

of those who pass,” he replied.

“But why aren’t you seeing anything

frightening?”

I asked.

“I’ve been taking a course dedicated to

learning how to control my emotions,” Will

explained. “Try to

concentrate,

Thea.”

I closed my eyes and opened them again.

But I could still see the

abandoned

academy and Professor de Mousus.

“Wait here for a moment,” Will said. He

rushed off and brought all the Thea Sisters

over. Each of them was

terrified

by the

vision of her own fears, too.

“Thea, I’m so

scared,”

Violet said,

reaching out to grab my paw.

“You must think of positive things,” Will

told us. “Think of your

friendship.”

That gave Colette an idea. She reached

into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

Then she scrolled down the screen and

pulled up a

photo.

“That’s us!”

Nicky cried. “It was right

after we finished our finals at the end of last

semester.”

I was in the photo, too, and the

happy

memory came flooding back to me. The

Thea Sisters had all done well on their tests

and were

excited

about the vacation

coming up.

When I looked up from the photo, I saw

that my

vision

of the academy had

vanished! I was back in the cloud forest. The

others were looking around, wide-eyed.

“Everything’s back to normal,” Paulina

said.

Nicky grinned. “All our fears have

vanished!”

“Colette’s photo defeated them,” added

Pam.

Will smiled. “Actually, what made your

fears disappear was your

friendship!”

A Fairy in Danger

As soon as we took a few steps, the Enchanted

Woods vanished behind us. But now we had

another problem. Our Wind Elf and his little

cloud had also

disappeared.

We had lost

our guide!

“Now what do we do?” Pam asked as we

looked around. The

landscape

had

completely transformed. Now we were

standing on a large platform of

clouds

that extended as far as the eye could see in

every direction. There was no clear path to

take.

“There must be a sign somewhere,” Colette

said, but there was nothing on the

horizon

except for more clouds.

“Wait!

Can you hear that?” Paulina

asked.

We all listened closely.

“It sounds like someone is

crying,”

I

said.

“But where is it coming from?” Will asked.

Nicky concentrated. “I’m not sure, but it

sounds like a female voice.”

“Whoever is crying is very

sad,”

Colette observed. “We

must help her!”

But we had to

FIND

her

before we could help her.

“Let’s keep walking forward,” I

suggested.

As we moved on, the

crying

seemed to

get louder.

“I think we’re on the

right track,” Paulina said

hopefully.

Then, suddenly,

the crying just

stopped.

“Is somebody there?” Colette called out.

“Do you need our help?”

But

nobody

answered her.

We looked at one another, discouraged.

Just as we thought we were getting close, our

journey

had ended. Or had it?

“Look!

Straight ahead!” Pam cried,

pointing.

“It’s a tower!” Paulina said. “

A tower of

clouds!”

The tall

blue

tower rose from the clouds

in the far distance.

“It must be very tall, if we can see it from

here,” Will reasoned.

“Shhh!”

Paulina interrupted. “I hear the

crying again.”

We

hurried

toward the tower, and the

crying got louder with each step we took. It

was very clear that the crying and the tower

were

connected.

But how?

When we arrived at the tower, we realized

that Will’s guess was correct. The tower was

impossibly

high. And there didn’t seem to

be a door at the bottom, just a window all

the way at the top.

We were searching the base of the tower

for some kind of entrance when

drops

started falling from above. Nicky collected

one in her paw and sniffed it.

“It smells like salt water,” she said. “Wait,

could these be

tears?”

“Oh no!” said Colette. “The poor, sad soul

is

TRAPPED

in the top of the tower!

We must find a way inside.”

“Let’s

circle

the tower and see if we’re

missing something,” Will suggested.

We walked around the whole base of the

building, feeling it with our paws, but we

could not find an

entrance.

“Hmm. Maybe the entrance is under the

clouds somewhere,” I guessed.

Will looked up. “Well, we know for sure

that the

window

is a way in. Here’s

what I’m thinking. Let’s split up. I will climb

the tower with Colette, Paulina, and Pam.”

I nodded. “And Nicky, Violet, and I will

see what we can find beneath the clouds.”

Will still had some ropes and

climbing

gear

in his backpack. While Violet, Nicky,

and I searched through the clouds for some

way into the tower, Will and the others

prepared for the climb.

Surprisingly,

climbing the tower was

easier than they thought. The clouds were

strangely firm and allowed them to

grip

with their paws and shoes as they climbed.

Will cheered on his team. “You’re doing

great!

We’re halfway there!”

“I’m so curious to see who is

inside,” Colette admitted.

Down below, we

couldn’t find a way in.

“There aren’t any

trapdoors,”

Violet reported.

Nicky looked up.

“I hope they have better luck than we’re

having!”

I followed her gaze. Will, Colette, Pam,

and Paulina had

reached

the window!

Will told me later exactly what happened

when they climbed inside the tower. They

entered a

circular room

made of

clouds: the walls, the fireplace, even the four-

poster bed. The white clouds were tinged

with

pale

yellow

and

blue.

In front of the fireplace stood a fairy with

long

red hair.

She was quite beautiful,

but she had the

saddest

look on her face.

Will and the others were certain: they had

found the

crying

creature!

Oooh!

Oh!

The Story of

Ariette

Will, Colette, Pam, and Paulina did not speak

for a few moments. They stared at the fairy

in the tower room,

enchanted

by her beauty

and sadness.

She was the one who spoke first.

“I am

happy

to see you, strangers,” she

said in a voice that was as sweet as the sound

of a

flute

or the song of a

spring bird.

“We heard your cries, and we couldn’t

ignore them,” Will said gallantly.

“Yes,” said Colette. “We want to help you.”

The fairy nodded. “You were very

courageous

to climb all the way up here.”

Then she gave a little bow. “I should

introduce myself. My name is

Ariette

and I

am a

Weaver Fairy.”

“A Weaver Fairy? Does that mean you can

make

clouds?”

asked Pam, remembering

what they had learned back at the unit

headquarters.

“Yes,” said Ariette. “At least, I used to be

able to make clouds.” She

sighed

and sat

down.

“Why can’t you now? What happened?”

Will asked.

“It is a very

sad

story,” she replied.

“Would you like to

hear it?”

“Certainly,” said

Will. “Once we

hear it, we can

figure out how

to

help

you.”

“Thank you, you are truly

kind,”

said

Ariette. “But I don’t know your names.”

“Of course! I’m sorry,” Will said. “My

name is

Will

Mystery

and I’m a

researcher.”

“And we’re

Colette,

Pam,

and

Paulina,”

Colette said, pointing to her friends. “We’re

colleagues of Will’s, and we go to Mouseford

Academy.”

“I’m afraid I’ve never heard of it,” Ariette

said.

“It’s located in the

real

world,”

Paulina explained. “Very far from here.”

Ariette’s eyes

LIT

UP.

“I know of the

real world,” she said. “Please tell me, what

do you research?”

“We study the worlds of

fantasy

and

solve mysteries there,” Will replied.

“And is that why you are here in the

Land

of Clouds?”

the fairy asked.

Colette nodded. “We know that the Weaver

Fairies have stopped making clouds. We’re

here to find out what happened.”

A

SHADOW

crossed Ariette’s face. “That is

why I’ve been locked up in this tower.”

“What do you mean?” Will asked.

“Well, it is believed that the reason the

Weaver Fairies don’t weave anymore is that

they no longer

dream,”

Ariette replied.

Will nodded. “Yes, we read that the

silver

threads

that make the clouds are produced

when Weaver Fairies dream,” he said. “But

why aren’t you dreaming anymore?”

“The others blame me,” Ariette said sadly.

“They say that I

disturbed

the sleep of

my fairy friends by telling them about the

World Below.”

“The World Below?” Paulina asked.

“That is what all Cloud Fairies call the

world that exists

Below

the

sky

— the

real world, as you call it,” Ariette explained.

Pam was confused. “What did you tell the

other fairies about the real world that

stopped

them from dreaming?”

“I told them nothing that would have

disturbed their dreams,” Ariette insisted. “I

only told them about the many

wonders

of your world. But I broke our

RULE

that

Weaver Fairies may never know about the

World Below.”

“Why not?” Colette asked.

“So that we can

concentrate

on our

work,” the fairy explained. “Weaver Fairies

must only focus on weaving the clouds. And

we

cannot

pass

beyond the boundaries

of the Land of Clouds.”

Paulina nodded. “So you must have been

very

curious

about the World Below.”

“Yes, very curious,” Ariette said. “That’s

why I was punished and

IMPRISONED

in this tower.”

“Who imprisoned you?” Will asked.

“Queen Nephele,” Ariette replied. “She is

very worried. If the fairies don’t start weaving

clouds soon, the Land of Clouds will

disappear!”

Paulina

frowned.

“But if you are not the

reason why the Weaver Fairies are not

dreaming,

then what is?”

“I am not sure,” Ariette admitted. “But I

think I know a way to

FIND OUT.”

“How?” Pam asked.

“I am the only fairy who can

SEE

the

dreams of the other weavers,” Ariette

explained. “If I manage to find out what is

really disturbing them, I’ll also find out what

created this

situation.”

“And then you could also prove your

innocence!”

said Colette.

“Yes, but to do that . . .” Paulina began.

“I have to get out of here!”

Ariette

cried.

The Crystals of

the Fairies

Colette looked around. “Have you ever tried

to

escape?”

“It’s not that simple,” Ariette replied. “Each

of the Weaver Fairies possesses a

special pendant with a very

BRIGHT CRYSTAL.”

“That sounds beautiful,”

Colette remarked.

“They are quite

beautiful

to look at,” Ariette said. “But

even more beautiful is their

meaning. Inside each

pendant

is a picture

that represents the nature of

the fairy who wears it. Mine

has a picture of a

heart.”

“What does the heart represent?” asked

Paulina.

Ariette smiled. “I am very

sensitive

to

the feelings of others.”

“That’s an important quality,” said Will.

“But what does your pendant have to do

with being

IMPRISONED

in the

tower?” Paulina asked.

“The pendant was taken away from me

when I was imprisoned,” Ariette explained.

“I am unable to move around the

Land of

Clouds

without it.”

“Why not?” Pam asked.

“The crystal contains my

spirit,

the

core of who I am,” Ariette said. “Without my

crystal, I am

powerless

and

weak. I am

just a

SHADOW

of the fairy I once was.”

“That is so

sad,”

said Colette. “Isn’t there

anything we can do to help you?”

“Yes, there is,” said Ariette. “You could

help me get back my

pendant.”

Paulina was listening thoughtfully. “If

Queen Nephele

took it from you, is the

pendant in the Cloud Castle now?”

“No, it is guarded by the

Color Pixies,”

Ariette replied. “They’re always happy and

joking

around, so much that it is difficult

to know when they’re actually being

SERIOUS.”

“So getting the pendant should be pretty

easy,

then,” said Pam.

Ariette shook her head. “For some reason,

the Color Pixies have grown very

suspicious

lately. They don’t let anyone into their village

anymore.”

“We’ll just tell them we’re there to get your

CRYSTAL,”

said Colette.

“They won’t trust you,” Ariette insisted.

“And you shouldn’t even mention the crystal.

If you can, find out where it is and then

sneak

away

with it.”

Will was surprised. “You want us to steal

it?”

Ariette sighed. “I’m afraid that is the only

way. According to the queen, I am a

criminal.

The only way I can prove

my

innocence

is to get the crystal back

so I can travel to the Weaver Fairies and see

their dreams. And that is the only way to

save the Land of Clouds. You

believe

me,

don’t you?”

Will, Colette, Pam, and Paulina looked at

one another. They had met other

beautiful

fairies before who were not so nice inside.

They had no reason to trust her — but there

was something

special

about Ariette,

and they all felt it.

Will turned to Ariette and nodded. “Very

well. We will help you.”

“I am very grateful,” said Ariette. “When

you return with the

CRYSTAL,

I will

help you reach the Cloud Castle. Then we

can work together to solve the

mystery

of the fairies’ dreams.”

“Where can we find the

Color Pixies?”

asked Pam.

“They live in Fairywing Village, a small

town not far from here,” Ariette replied. “To

get there, you must follow the

color clouds.

You will know Fairywing Village as soon as

you see it. The village is made of clouds in

every color of the

rainbow.”

“How pretty!” said Colette. “But how will

we get into the village if you say the pixies

won’t let anyone in?”

“There is one way to gain their

trust,”

answered Ariette. “You must make them

laugh! The Color Pixies love to

laugh.

If

you can tell them a

funny

joke,

they

quickly become

friendly

and trusting.”

“That will be an interesting challenge,”

observed Paulina.

“I’m sure we can do it,” Will said

confidently.

“We should get going,” said Colette. “Thea

and the others will be waiting for us.”

“There are

more

of you?” Ariette asked.

“There are seven of us all together,” Paulina

replied.

“Wonderful! Together you will be

stronger!”

the fairy said, smiling.

Then the mice said good-bye to Ariette

and made their way down the tower.

The Cloud Tunnel

“What a

sad

story. Poor Ariette,” remarked

Violet after Will told us the story of the

tower’s fairy prisoner.

“What do you think, Thea?” Will asked.

“Did she seem

sincere?”

I asked.

“Yes,” said Will.

“Although she could have been lying to get

back her

CRYSTAL,”

added Colette.

“But we all felt there was something very

truthful about her,” said Pam. “And she

might be the only one who can help us find

out what is happening to the

Weaver

Fairies.”

“Then we must find Fairywing Village!” I

said, and we set off to find the

color clouds.

Let’s go!

Oh!

We looked at the clouds ahead of us as we

walked.

“There’s a

yellow

one!”

Paulina said, pointing.

“And I see a

blue

and a

pink

one,” added

Colette.

“Let’s be quick,

then, before they float

away!” Will said.

We stepped on the

puffy

clouds. It

was almost like following a path of stepping-

stones, except these felt like

balloons

under our feet.

The

color clouds

led us to a hill made of

white, fluffy clouds.

Will frowned. “Ariette didn’t mention this.”

“Maybe the path continues on the other

side,” I guessed.

Ack!

“Then let’s climb over the hill,” Will said.

“We already climbed up the tower. It

shouldn’t be too

difficult,”

Paulina said,

and she took the first step on the hill.

As soon as she set her foot down, the

clouds turned

PURPLE

and rumbled.

Then they

Shook Violently

, and Paulina

toppled over.

Nicky ran to her. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Paulina replied. “Luckily, the

clouds are

soft.”

The clouds making up the hill had turned

white again.

“Let me try,” said Will, but as soon as he

began to climb, the clouds turned dark again

and

trembled,

sending him

tumbling

backward.

“Maybe we should try going around the

hill,” I suggested.

We agreed that was the best thing to do.

We hadn’t gone far when Nicky pointed.

“Look! A

tunnel!”

she cried.

There was an opening in

the clouds at the bottom

of the hill. Near the

opening was a sign.

“Cloud Tunnel,”

read Paulina. “How

mysterious!”

It was extremely

Cloud

Tunnel

foggy

inside the tunnel. Will

produced a flashlight from his

backpack and pointed it in front of

him.

“There’s a

footprint!”

Paulina

said.

“Judging by its size, it belongs

to someone very

big,”

Colette commented.

Oh!

Oh!

Look!

That very large footprint worried me, but

we kept going. As we made our way through

the tunnel, the fog became

THINNER

and

THINNER.

We had traveled far when we

reached a large room

illuminated

by

many candles. Shelves held hundreds of

bottles filled with

colorful liquids.

Then we saw something

move

in

the very back of the room . . .

something large and heavy.

We all gasped as a

A giant!

giant

stepped toward us! He had

so many arms that we couldn’t count

them!

Who are you?

The giant moved toward us, waving his many

hands. Each one held a

bottle

of

colorful liquid.

“Who goes there?” he thundered.

“We are researchers,” Will answered.

“Why have you come to my house?” the

giant asked.

“We did not mean to

disturb

you,”

Will said. “We didn’t know you lived here.”

“Everyone in the land knows that!” boomed

the giant. “I am the

Hundred-Handed

Giant.

Where are you from?”

“From the World Below,” Colette called out.

The giant looked interested.

“I was in the

World

Below

a long, long

The Hundred-

Handed Giant

time ago,” he said.

As he spoke, we heard the sound of

breaking glass.

One of the bottles

had broken in the giant’s hand. He rushed to

take another from a shelf.

“How long have you lived here?” Will

asked.

“I do not know,” the

giant

replied.

“Here, time does not pass. And I am

condemned to always keep my hands

occupied. I cannot

rest

for a single moment.”

“Is that why you’re holding a bottle in

every hand?” I asked.

The giant nodded. “Yes. Once, I traveled

to a faraway land. I was young and arrogant

then, and when I came across an ugly

witch

I laughed in her face. So she

punished

me

by giving me a hundred hands.”

“How cruel!” said Colette.

“She taught me a

lesson

that appearances

do not matter, and I have learned it,” said the

giant.

“But why must your hands always be

occupied?”

Paulina wondered.

“It is part of the

curse,”

said the giant

sadly. “My hands must always be doing

something, or I shall die. So I

constantly

empty and refill these bottles.”

“That is awful,” said

Colette. “I wish we

could stay and keep

you company.”

“Yes, but we have

a very important

assignment,”

added

Will. “The Weaver Fairies are no longer

making clouds. If we don’t find out why this

is happening, the

Land

of

Clouds

will

disappear.”

The giant frowned. “I did not know this. I

never venture outside my tunnel. But if it’s

true that the Land of Clouds is in

danger,

then I will help you.”

“Thank you,” said Colette. “You are very

kind.”

“Kindness

is another lesson I have

learned,” the giant said with a

smile.

“Do you know the way to

Fairywing Village?”

asked Will.

“I can point out the road to

Do you know the way

to Fairywing Village?

Thanks!

How

kind!

you, but I can’t go with you,” the giant said.

“First you must pass through the

VALLEY

OF INFINITE STORM CLOUDS.”

“That sounds

dangerous,”

said Pam.

“The valley is swept by very strong winds

that bring storm clouds with them,” the giant

explained. “These clouds create the Scarlet

River, which is very difficult to cross. The

scarlet

lightning

fairies

live in the

river, and they do not like strangers. You

must be

careful.”

“We will be,” I promised.

The giant led us to the end of the tunnel.

We said good-bye to him, and before long,

we came to a valley of

angry red

clouds.

We walked to the edge and

looked down into the swirling storm clouds.

It was truly terrifying!

“Do we really have to climb down there?”

Violet asked

nervously,

looking out over

the Valley of Infinite Storm Clouds.

“I’m afraid so, if we want to reach Fairywing

Village,” I replied.

“How will we cross the Scarlet River?”

Paulina asked, looking down at the river of

clouds. “It’s moving awfully

quickly.”

Will looked thoughtful. “Maybe there is a

way to stop it. Like another

riddle.”

“We can ask the Scarlet Lightning Fairies,”

Colette said.

Dressed in bright red, the

scarlet

lightning

fairies

flew above the river,

sprinkling dust on the storm clouds.

The Scarlet

Lightning Fairies

“They don’t look

friendly,”

Nicky

remarked. “But I guess we have to try.”

With a nod, Will set off down the

sloping

valley of clouds. As we followed

him, the

wind

became more intense.

“Hang on tight!” I called out. Just one

STRONG GUST

of wind could send

any one of us falling into the river below!

We finally made it down to the riverbank.

Suddenly, two Scarlet Lightning Fairies

swooped

down from above. They

looked

angry,

but they were beautiful, and I

marveled at their hair. It was deep red and

wild

and

wavy,

like the storm

clouds.

“Who are you?” asked the first fairy.

“We don’t want

intruders

in our

valley,” said the second.

“We are here to help the Land of Clouds,”

I said as

sweetly

as I could.

“You must leave,”

the first fairy

snapped. “You cannot stay.”

“Please, fairies, we just want to pass

through,” said Colette.

“No!”

the second fairy said firmly.

“But we are on a

very

important

mission,”

Will pleaded. “We come

from the World Below,

and we saw that your

land is in

trouble.

There is no time to

waste!”

“We said no!” the

first fairy cried.

As she spoke, a

jagged

bolt

of lightning

fell from the sky and hit the clouds right next

to us!

“Hey! Are you trying to hurt us?” Pam

asked.

“That was not us!” the second fairy said

with a huff. “It is the clouds. They are too

small

and

weak

to hold an

electrical

charge

these days.”

“It’s no fun making lightning when the

clouds can’t hold it!” added the first fairy.

“That’s why we’re here,” Colette said.

Then another

lightning

bolt

fell from

the clouds. It singed the first

fairy!

“OUCH!”

she yelped.

“If you want to stop this

from happening, then

please let us pass,” Colette

continued. “The reason the

Ouch!

clouds are

small

and

weak

is that the

Weaver Fairies aren’t producing any new

ones!”

“What would you

know

about the Land of

Clouds?” the second fairy asked with a scoff.

“We

research

fantasy worlds, and we

think we know how to help,” said Will.

But the fairies just shook their heads. The

first fairy raised her arms to the sky.

Immediately, a

GUST

OF

WIND

blew

down and she shaped it in her hands.

We watched,

amazed,

as the wind in the

fairy’s hands became a sphere. It grew

bigger

and

bigger.

Once it was the

size of a large cheese ball, she got ready to

throw it at us.

“Go away!” she shouted.

Just then, another bolt of lightning

flashed

behind her. Startled, she dropped

the ball of wind and it

drifted

away.

“I think I can help you with this lightning,”

Paulina said.

“You’ve already said that,” the fairy

sneered.

“No, this is

different,”

said Paulina. “I

can show you how to

control

the power

of the lightning, so the clouds will hold their

charge.”

“Really?” the two fairies asked together.

We all looked at Paulina, impressed. But,

of course, she’s a real

SCIENCE

WHIZ,

so

I wasn’t surprised.

“I just need to do a small

calculation,”

Paulina replied. “I will write it down for you,

with one condition.”

“What’s that?” the fairies asked.

“That you let us

pass

to the other side

of the valley,” replied Paulina.

“Do you know what you are asking?” the

first fairy said. “That would mean

stopping

the Scarlet River, and we cannot.”

“Never mind, then,” Paulina replied.

The fairies flew toward each other and

began to talk in

whispers.

“Do you really know how to do that

calculation?”

Pam asked Paulina.

Paulina nodded. “I’ve never done it before,

but I think I can.”

“And what if something goes

wrong?”

Violet asked.

“I have

faith

in Paulina,” Will said, and

she smiled at the compliment.

A moment later, the two fairies flew back.

“We accept your proposal,” said the first.

“Too many of us have had

trouble

with

lightning lately. But if your calculation does

not work, you will not pass.”

“That is fair,” Paulina agreed.

“You will test this at the place where we

gather

thunderclouds,”

the second

fairy said, and the two fairies called down

the wind again. They shaped it into a large

sphere. It floated to Paulina and wrapped

around her like a

big bubble.

I held my breath as I watched the bubble

lift Paulina up

higher

and

higher

above

us. She waved to us from inside.

“I hope that bubble doesn’t

break,”

said Violet anxiously.

“These fairies might be cranky, but I think

their

magic

is strong,” said Nicky.

“I’m just impressed that Paulina can

attempt such a difficult calculation,” Colette

said.

“That’s the beauty of the

Thea Sisters,”

said Pam. “Each of us has a

different

talent. So no matter what situation we’re up

against, we can always succeed.”

“At least, we hope so!” Nicky joked.

We all looked up at Paulina. The entire

mission

was riding on

the shoulders of our

brave

friend!

While we waited for Paulina to return, we

stared at the

Scarlet River

at the

bottom of the valley.

“Look!

The river has stopped running!”

Nicky cried.

“Paulina did it!” Pam cheered.

A moment later the wind sphere

floated

back down to us, accompanied

by the two fairies. Paulina was

smiling

as she stepped out of the sphere.

“I am so

proud

of you!” I cried, giving

her a hug.

She smiled. “Thank you, Thea.”

“Good

job!”

Will added, and Paulina

beamed.

A World of Color!

“How did you manage to figure out how to

control the lightning?” Violet asked.

“I needed to create a

formula

to

combine the velocity

of the wind, the

density of the clouds,

and the power of the

fairy dust,” Paulina

began, showing us

the

notes

she

had made.

“How do you

determine the power of fairy dust?”

Violet asked. “It’s a

magical

element.”

Paulina nodded. “That’s exactly why it was

so

tricky.

But it has properties similar to —”

“No need to explain!”

Colette

interrupted, smiling. “We’re just happy you

did it!”

WIND VELOCITY

MASS OF CLOUDS

DENSITY OF CLOUDS

POWER OF FAIRY

DUST

The Scarlet Lightning Fairies looked happy

as well.

“We thank you,” the first fairy said. “Now

we can give the right amount of

fairy dust

to each cloud.”

“And we won’t

get hit by lightning

bolts anymore!”

added the second.

“You will

always be

welcome

in the Valley of

Infinite Storm

Clouds,” the

first fairy said.

The two fairies

bowed. “Now you

may pass.”

“Can you point the

WAY

to Fairywing

Village?” Will asked.

“Cross the valley and then go straight,” the

first fairy told him.

“Safe travels,” said the second fairy. “We

truly hope you can set things right in the

Land of Clouds.”

“We will do our best,” Will promised.

We safely crossed the Scarlet River,

climbed up the other side of the valley, and

walked

straight ahead.

We kept our

eyes open for signs of Fairywing Village.

After a few minutes, I noticed something.

“I think I see a color cloud over there,” I

said, pointing. “Like the ones that marked

the way before the

Cloud Tunnel.”

“I see it, too!” Colette said. “We’re on the

right path.”

Soon, Fairywing Village came into view.

Fairywing

Village

The pretty

color clouds

had little cloud

houses on top of them in shades of

pink,

yellow,

green,

blue,

and

purple.

“How cute!” Colette cried.

“But I don’t see any pixies,” Violet observed.

We looked around, hoping to spot someone

who could help us, when Pam sneezed.

“ACHOOOOO!”

“Are you catching a cold?” Violet asked.

Before Pam could reply, we heard the

sound of stifled

giggles.

Then three pixies peeked out from behind

a cloud and

smiled

at us. They

fluttered

their transparent wings and flew toward us.

The first was dressed in

blue,

the second

in

pink,

and the third in

purple.

Each

one carried a bucket of

paint.

“Good day,

Color Pixies!,”

Colette said.

“Good day, dear,” replied the blue pixie.

“We are Rosebud, Bluebell, and Lilac.

Who are you?” asked the pink fairy.

We introduced ourselves, and Lilac

frowned. “We do not allow

strangers

here.”

“We have a

very important

reason

for our visit . . .” I tried to explain.

Rosebud shook her head. “I’m sorry, we

can’t make any exceptions!”

Meanwhile, Lilac had begun to paint a

cloud.

“You paint so well,” Violet said. “May I

try?”

“Certainly,” said Lilac,

and she handed the

paintbrush

to her.

Violet painted a

marvelous flower

on the delicate surface

of the cloud.

“It’s an orchid, my favorite flower,” Violet

explained.

“You are very good at

painting,”

said

Rosebud.

“Not as good as you, kind pixies,” Violet

said.

The fairies smiled at the compliment.

“Thank you,” said Bluebell. “We paint from

sunrise

to

sunset,

coloring the

clouds.”

They smiled again, and we remembered

what Ariette had told us: if we made them

laugh,

they would let us enter the village.

“Would you like to hear a

funny joke?”

Nicky asked. “I know a good one.”

The three fairies clapped their hands

together. “

Yes, please!

Tell us a joke!”

“Okay,” said Nicky. “What’s worse than

finding a

worm

in your

apple?”

“I don’t know. What?” asked

Rosebud.

“Finding half a worm!”

Nicky said, and the

fairies

giggled.

“Tell us another one!”

said Bluebell.

“Okay,” said Nicky. “What kind of

fruit

do twins like best?”

“What kind?” asked Bluebell.

“

PEARS!”

Nicky said, and the fairies

giggled again.

“One more! One more!” pleaded Lilac.

Nicky thought. “Okay, here’s a funny color

riddle for you,” she said. “A one-story house

is painted

purple.

The walls are

purple.

The floors are

purple.

The furniture is

purple.

The ceilings are

purple.

What color are the stairs?”

“Purple?”

Lilac guessed.

Nicky grinned. “There are no stairs! It’s a

one-story house!”

The three fairies started laughing so hard

that they

somersaulted

in the air.

“Your jokes have put us in such a

good

mood,”

Rosebud announced.

“And when we are in a good mood, we like

having guests for

tea,”

Lilac added.

“Would you like to visit our homes?”

Bluebell asked.

“We’d be

delighted!”

Will replied.

“Follow us!” Rosebud said.

We stepped along a path of

color clouds,

following the flying fairies.

“Good job, Nicky,” I whispered to her. I

was so

proud

of my student.

As we walked through the village, we passed

the

cute

little houses perched on color

clouds. From their chimneys came the

delicious

aroma

of desserts baking.

“What a wonderful place!” Violet said,

looking around.

“Fairies of

all different colors

live

in our village,” Lilac explained. “Each one of

us has a paintbrush and a palette that we use

to

paint

the clouds.”

The three fairies led us to a

pale blue

house that I guessed was Bluebell’s.

“You are

lucky

to live in such a pretty

village,” Colette remarked.

Bluebell nodded. “Once, this was a very

Smile Cakes

happy place, full of laughter and joy,” she

said. “But now . . .”

“Now the clouds are

disappearing,

you

mean?” Colette asked.

Bluebell looked surprised. “How do

you know that?”

“That’s the reason we came

here. To solve this

mystery,”

I replied.

The three fairies looked at one another,

confused, but then Bluebell’s eyes got wide.

“Goodness! My cupcakes!”

she cried,

and then she rushed into her house.

A moment later she flew back out. “I

thought I had left them in the oven for too

long! But they’re

perfect.

Please, come in!”

In the center of Bluebell’s tiny house was a

round table laden with cupcakes.

“The

smile cakes

that Bluebell makes

are famous throughout the

village,” Rosebud told us.

We took our seats around

the table and each took a

cupcake.

“These are

delicious!”

Pam exclaimed,

biting into a chocolate cupcake decorated

with

colored sprinkles.

“I’m

happy

you like them,” Bluebell said

with a satisfied smile. “Now that there aren’t

any new clouds to paint, we have to find

other ways to keep

busy.”

“We’re here to find out what is happening

to the clouds,” Will said. “We want to

SOLVE

the problem and save the land.”

“But nobody knows how to make the

Weaver Fairies

dream

again,” Lilac pointed

out.

“Well, maybe the reason that the Weaver

Fairies aren’t making

silver

thread

isn’t

what you think,” Colette suggested.

Lilac got

annoyed.

“Oh, really? Do you

know better than Queen Nephele?”

“Well, not even she knows the real reason,”

Will said. “There is only one fairy who can

truly

find out.”

“And who might that be?” Rosebud asked.

“Ariette,

the

Weaver

Fairy,”

Will said.

Ariette is to blame!

Please listen . . .

The fairies’ eyes widened.

“Ariette? She is the cause of all this

trouble!”

Lilac protested.

“But Ariette is the only one who can see

the dreams of the

Weaver

Fairies,”

Paulina broke in. “Maybe the fairies are still

dreaming,

but what they are dreaming is

keeping them from weaving. We need to

understand what is going on.”

“Queen Nephele

and the Grand Council

of Fairies have established the

GUILT

of

Ariette according to the law. There is nothing

more to say,” Bluebell said firmly.

“Please, Color Pixies, give us a chance to

find out the

truth,”

Violet pleaded. “If

Ariette were free, she could —”

“Free?” Rosebud interrupted angrily. “It’s

out of the question. It would mean giving

her back her

crystal pendant.”

“And we know you’re guarding it here!”

Pam blurted out.

Nicky nudged her, but it was too late. Our

plan to

sneak

off

with the crystal was

exposed.

“So you’re here to steal Ariette’s crystal?!”

Tweeeeet!

Bluebell asked

angrily.

Rosebud took out a silver whistle and blew

into it three times. A moment

later, we heard the strong

beating of wings. We

stepped outside and saw

three majestic

winged

unicorns!

“They will take you to the Cloud

Castle.

Queen Nephele

and the Grand

Council of Fairies are waiting for you,” said

Lilac

STERNLY.

Will turned to us. “We may as well go to

the palace. We may get more information

there.”

We nodded in agreement, and then climbed

onto the backs of the

unicorns.

They

soared

up high, whisking us away from

Fairywing Village.

Good-bye!

How exciting!

I love unicorns!

I couldn’t believe that we were flying on

unicorns! It was amazing. Their long wings

kept us steady even when heavy

GUSTS

hit us. They rode the air

OF WIND

currents,

flying

swiftly

toward the Cloud

Castle.

“Do you think the

Grand

Council

of Fairies

will be angry with us?” Violet

asked behind me.

“They might,” I replied. “But I am counting

on the wisdom of Queen Nephele. I hope

that she will see the

truth

once we

explain our reasoning.”

“And if she doesn’t?” Violet asked.

Inside the Cloud

Castle

“Then we’ll have to think of a

PLAN B,”

I

replied. Though I didn’t exactly know what

that would be.

“LOOK UP AHEAD!”

Colette shouted.

An enormouse palace came into view on

the horizon:

the Cloud Castle!

The unicorns landed in a large

courtyard.

Seven

guards

in silver armor

were lined up there, waiting for us.

Two

winged

fairies

stood in front of

them. They were all looking at us severely.

“Welcome. We are the Sentinel Fairies,

and these are the

Cloud

Guards,”

explained the fairy with long red hair.

“Follow us, please.”

The Cloud Guards led

us inside the palace.

THE CLOUD CASTLE

5

9

10

Palace entrance

Fountain of Dreams

The Guards’ Courtyard

The Fairies’ Courtyard

The Queen’s Courtyard

Throne Room

North Wing (royal quarters)

East Wing (Weaver Fairies’

quarters)

South Wing (quarters for the

Grand Council)

West Wing

Hall of Mirrors

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

4

3

2

1

6

7

8

11

Inside, we could see that the building was

made of the woven threads of

clouds.

“How elegant!” Colette exclaimed, looking

at a

fancy

stuffed armchair.

“Those were just

created

today,” said

the fairy with dark hair, pointing to the

chairs.

“What do you mean, ‘created’?” Nicky

asked.

“The cloud threads are

soft

and can be

woven to create many different shapes,”

explained the red-haired fairy. “Therefore,

the furniture of the castle is constantly

changing,

to always keep it as beautiful

as possible.”

“And of course every fairy can change the

furnishings

of her own room as often as she

wishes,” added the dark-haired fairy.

“I would love to do that back in our room

at Mouseford!” Colette said with a

dreamy

sigh.

“You would change things every day!”

Violet teased.

We reached a very tall door with two

lightning bolts

carved on it.

The dark-haired fairy turned to us. “Wait

here,” she instructed, and she went inside

with her companion.

The

Cloud Guards

stayed behind with us.

It was clear that they weren’t going to let us

out of their sight for a moment.

A few minutes passed, and the fairy with

dark hair returned.

“You may enter,” she said.

We found ourselves in a very

GRAND

HALL

in the shape of a circle, with a row

of benches around the room occupied by

fairies. All of them wore

dark

blue

dresses

decorated with

tiny crystals.

On the

throne, in the middle of the room, sat Queen

Nephele. She wore a turquoise dress and a

crown of stars

on her head.

Hardly daring to breathe, we sat in seven

seats facing the queen, waiting to be heard

by the

Grand

Council of Fairies.

Welcome,

strangers!

Thank you,

Your Majesty!

It is an

honor!

The Grand Council

of Fairies

Queen Nephele broke the

deep

silence

in

the council room.

“Welcome to the Cloud Castle, strangers,”

she said. “I am

Nephele,

Queen of the

Land of Clouds, and this is the Grand

Council of Fairies. I imagine that you

know

why you are here.”

“It’s an

honor

to be in your presence,

Queen Nephele,” Will said. “We are here to

help you.”

The queen looked at him questioningly.

“What do you mean?”

A low murmur rose among the fairies in

the council.

“We know that the

Weaver

Fairies

aren’t weaving any more clouds,” Will said.

“And we’re here to find out why.”

“You are late, strangers,” the queen said.

“The truth is already known. It was this very

council that

JUDGED

the guilty

party and took the necessary

actions.”

“If you’re talking about

Ariette,

we’ve met her,” I said.

Another

murmur

rose up.

“We went into her tower and

spoke to her,” Pam added

confidently.

“She told us that she

is innocent, and that

she can

FIND

OUT

the reason

the fairies aren’t

producing silver thread,” Colette said.

“That’s absurd!”

fumed the queen. “She

is guilty of describing the World Below to

other fairies. That is against our

LAW,

and

she was punished.”

“But we come from the World Below, and

it is full of

wonders,”

Violet said.

The queen stared at us in

shock.

“Please

FREE

Ariette,” Paulina pleaded.

“Punishing her has not solved the problem

of the Weaver Fairies. And she is the only

one who may be able to learn the

truth.”

Queen Nephele shook her head. “No.

Absolutely not. Ariette put our realm in

serious

danger

and must stay in the tower. The

Weaver Fairies will start weaving again soon,

once they

forget

what she has told them.”

The fairy council nodded in agreement.

Only one fairy

stood

and bravely

challenged the queen.

“My queen, I beg you. Listen to these

strangers. They are telling the

truth

about

Ariette,” she said.

“Galatea!

We have already discussed

this at length. The decision has been made,”

Queen Nephele said.

Galatea lowered her gaze and sat down

again.

The queen continued. “I order that

these strangers be taken to the

castle

library.

They will stay

there, under the custody of the

Cloud Guards, while they wait

to be removed from our land

and returned to the

World

Below.

I hereby declare this

meeting

over.”

The queen stood and left the

hall, and the council members followed her --

except for

Galatea.

When the Cloud

Guards approached us, she stopped them.

“I will accompany these strangers. Please

go.”

They left, and Galatea led us to the library.

“So, you have seen my

friend

Ariette?”

she asked.

“Yes,” said Will. “We were trying to find

the Cloud Castle when we heard her

cries

from the tower.”

“Poor Ariette,” said the fairy.

“I wish I could

help

her, but

I don’t know how.”

“She told us she can’t leave

the tower without her

CRYSTAL,”

Colette said.

Galatea nodded. “That is true.

The crystal produces a

magic

light

that surrounds the fairy wearing it

and allows her to move across the clouds.”

“It sounds beautiful,” said Colette.

Galatea grasped the

pendant

that she

wore around her neck. “This is my crystal.”

“It’s so

sparkly,”

Violet said admiringly.

“Why is it against your laws to explore the

World Below?” Pam asked.

“The reason is

fear,”

Galatea replied.

“Queen Nephele and many of the fairies

don’t know much about other worlds, and so

they believe they must be dangerous.”

“But that’s not true,” Paulina said, shaking

her head. “It is a

wonderful experience

to

get to know new people and places.”

“I agree,” Galatea said. “But I think it will

be a

long

time

before the Grand

Council of Fairies understands that.”

“That’s a shame,” said Colette.

Galatea sighed. “Meanwhile, Ariette is a

PRISONER.

I’m so worried about her.”

“Are you good friends?” Nicky asked.

“Yes. We are always together and

share

everything,” Galatea replied. “I know it’s not

her fault that the Weaver Fairies are no longer

producing

silver thread.”

“Do you have any clue why it’s happening?”

asked Will.

Galatea shook her head. “No. Ariette is the

only one who can find out, if she can ever

LEAVE

that tower!”

“We tried to get her crystal back from the

Color Pixies,

but unfortunately we didn’t

succeed,” I explained.

“There’s another way to free Ariette,”

Galatea said. “But I can’t do it alone. Would

you be willing to help me?”

“Absolutely!”

we all replied.

A Gesture of the

Heart

We entered the Cloud Castle’s library and

Galatea

closed the door firmly behind

us. We were alone.

“What is

your

plan?”

Will asked.

The fairy slipped off the chain around her

neck and handed it to

Will. It was her

CRYSTAL.

“Why did you take it

off?” he asked her.

“So that you can

take it to Ariette,

and she will finally

be

FREE,”

Galatea

said.

“But I thought that each fairy had her own

special crystal,” said Will.

“That is true,” Galatea said. “Each crystal

represents the

nature

of the fairy who

wears it, and it is very personal to her. But it

can be given from one fairy to another.”

“And it still maintains its

magic power?”

Will asked.

Galatea nodded. “Yes.”

Paulina looked worried. “

But

what

will you do

without your crystal?”

“I will stay confined here,” Galatea replied.

“I won’t be able to

fly

or leave the Cloud

Castle. But I will gladly do it, because it’s the

only way to help Ariette prove her

innocence.”

“What a nice thing to do,” I commented.

“Ariette is my dear friend, and I love her

very much,” said Galatea. “It is unjust that

she is a

prisoner

in the tower.”

We nodded in agreement.

“And it is

important

to find out what

is happening with the Weaver Fairies,”

Galatea continued. “If they don’t start

weaving clouds again soon, the Land of

Clouds will be in

serious

danger!”

“You’re right. We’ll take the pendant to

Ariette and

FREE

her as soon as possible,”

Will said. He placed the pendant gently in

Colette’s paw. “The tower is far away and

will take us a long time to reach,” he

continued. “Can you stay here long without

your

CRYSTAL?”

“The

unicorns

can take you to Ariette,

and they are fast,” Galatea reminded him.

I also still had one worry about the plan.

“I think it would be better if you didn’t

stay here

alone,”

I told Galatea. “Without

the power of your crystal, you could be in

danger.”

“Especially if Queen Nephele finds out

that you let us escape,” Paulina said. “She

might get

angry.”

“Let’s split up into

two

groups,”

Will

said. “One will stay here at the castle with

Galatea and try to make sure that Queen

Nephele and the Grand Council do not

suspect anything. The other group will go

FREE

Ariette, help her get back her

CRYSTAL

from Fairywing Village, and

then bring her back to the palace.”

“If you all agree,” I proposed, “I will

stay

here

at the palace with Pam and Violet.”

Everyone was happy with that plan.

Before we separated, we

hugged

one

another tightly. Then Colette, Nicky, Paulina,

and Will

flew

away

on the magic unicorns.

Bye!

We’re off!

See you

soon!

Safe travels!

Be careful!

Will held on tightly to the unicorn’s mane as

they flew to Ariette’s tower. He is a brave

adventurer, but riding on the back of a

unicorn

made him nervous! Behind him,

Paulina looked down on the Land of Clouds

in

wonder

.

“There’s Fairywing Village,” she said. “And

up ahead, I can see the Scarlet River!”

“It looks like a

beautiful

painting from

up here!” Colette called out.

“I can see things that we didn’t

notice

before,” added Nicky, who was sitting in

front of Colette. “There are cloud forests and

cloud lakes down there, and all kinds of

fairies!”

Finally Free!

“It’s like we’re

flying

through

a

dream,”

Paulina said.

“Yes,” agreed Will. “Fantasy worlds take

us to

unforgettable

places. It’s one of

the reasons why I love my work!”

They continued in silence,

enchanted

by the beauty surrounding them, until they

finally saw the tower where Ariette was held.

“At least we don’t have to climb the tower

this time,” Colette said. “But how will we get

inside?”

“Let’s fly as close to the

window

as we

can,” Will suggested.

Ariette heard their voices and ran to the

window. “You came back!” she said, greeting

her new friends with a

brilliant smile.

“We’ve come to get you out of here,” Will

told her.

“But the unicorns’ wings won’t let us get

Ooooooh!

any closer,” Nicky pointed out.

Colette took Galatea’s

CRYSTAL

from

her pocket and looked at it thoughtfully.

“Try

putting

it

on,”

Will said.

Colette’s eyes widened. “Do

you think it will make me

fly?

But I’m not a

fairy.”

“It’s worth a try,”

Nicky said.

Paulina turned

to Will. “Do you

think anything

bad

could

happen?”

“I don’t think

so,” Will replied.

“And we’re

ready to

help

if anything goes wrong.”

After a pause, Colette put the

CRYSTAL

around her neck.

Immediately, she sensed a change inside

her. She felt incredibly light . . .

“You’re flying, Coco!”

Paulina

exclaimed.

“It’s true! I can’t believe it!” Colette cried

as she floated off the unicorn’s back. It felt

amazing!

But she had to focus on the job

at hand: helping Ariette.

She

FLEW

through the open window,

landing next to the fairy.

“How did you do that?” Ariette asked.

“Thanks to this,” Colette said, showing her

the

pendant.

Ariette

gasped.

“But that’s Galatea’s crystal!

Why do you have it? Did something happen

to her?”

“No, she is fine,” Colette promised. “We

met her in the Cloud Castle, and she gave us

the

CRYSTAL

to bring to you.”

Ariette’s pale eyes filled with

tears

when she heard this.

“Ariette! Why are you crying?” Colette

asked.

“Galatea has a

heart of gold,”

she

replied. “I don’t know any other fairies who

would have done the same.”

“You are her

best

friend,

and she

would do anything to help you,” Colette said.

“It’s thanks to her that we are here.”

“But why would she give me her crystal?”

Ariette asked.

“We weren’t able to steal your

CRYSTAL

from the Color Pixies,” Colette explained.

“She knew this was the only way to

FREE

you.”

Colette removed the necklace and handed

Shall we go?

Take my

hand!

it to Ariette. The

fairy put it around

her neck, and it

shone

brightly.

She happily

flapped

her wings.

“Let’s go! Grab my hand!”

Ariette told Colette.

Colette obeyed, and she

felt a lightness flow through

her body again. Then she

and Ariette flew out

through the window.

“You did it!”

Nicky cried.

“Hooray!”

cheered

Paulina.

Colette climbed back

onto the

unicorn

with

Nicky, while Ariette thanked the others.

“Now let’s get back your crystal!” Will said.

“It’s still at

Fairywing Village,”

Paulina

explained. “Things with the Color Pixies did

not go well.”

“Colette told me,” Ariette said. “But I am

not surprised. They are very

stubborn.”

“As soon as we mentioned the crystal, they

called the unicorns with a

silver

whistle,

and the unicorns took us to the

Cloud Castle,” Colette said.

Ariette nodded. “It’s a good thing you met

Galatea

there and she gave you her

crystal.”

“And she helped us

escape,”

Will

added. “Some of our friends stayed with her,

to

protect

her

in case Queen Nephele

suspects anything.”

“You’ve done well,” said Ariette. “If the

queen were to find out what Galatea did, she

would be

furious

and would severely

punish her. But there’s another reason we

should worry.”

Paulina frowned. “What?”

“The exchange of crystals between fairies

can be

very risky

,” Ariette replied. “As

you know, each crystal represents the nature

of the fairy who possesses it. If a fairy goes

too long without her pendant, she will lose

her

fairy powers

forever.”

“That’s

awful

!” Colette exclaimed.

“It may already be

TOO LATE

for me. I do

not know,” Ariette said sadly. “But I do not

want the same thing to happen to Galatea.”

“Then we must

HURRY

!” Will said.

Ariette beat her

wings

and flew off to

Fairywing Village, and our friends followed

her on the unicorns.

As they flew toward Fairywing Village, the

sky began to

DARKEN.

“I wonder what time it is,” Nicky said.

She looked at her watch, but the numbers

on the face kept

appearing

and

disappearing

. This always happened in

fantasy worlds: the

technology

of the

real world stopped working.

“It will be

NIGHT

soon,” Ariette

confirmed. “And that’s good for us, since it

will be easier to avoid being seen.”

Then Ariette let out a

sigh.

“What is it?” Will asked her. “You seem

worried.”

“I am just sad that we have to

steal

the

A STORM OF STARS

crystal from the Color Pixies,” she said.

“They really are very

sweet

at heart.”

“That’s true,” replied Will. “But we are

only doing it to

save

the Land of Clouds.”

“When it’s all over, I’m sure the pixies will

understand,” Colette said. “After all, they’ll

have plenty of clouds to

PAINT

again!”

Suddenly, a small

SHINING BALL

fell from the sky and hit Paulina on the head.

As soon as it touched her hair, the sphere

dissolved into a

spray of stars.

“Oh!” Paulina cried.

“What happened?” Will asked.

But before she could answer, a shining ball

hit him, too!

“It’s a

storm of stars

! We must

find shelter!” Ariette cried.

The fairy dove for a low bank of clouds.

The

unicorns

followed her.

Oh!

“Quickly!” Ariette urged them.

Meanwhile, the

STARS

continued to fall,

as thick as snowflakes during a

blizzard.

Each time the stars hit something, they

dissolved, leaving a

shining trail

. Luckily,

What’s happening?

Quick,

follow

me!

my friends reached the low clouds quickly.

Then Paulina realized something. “These

aren’t clouds . . . they’re

flowers

!” she cried.

“Let’s go down farther,” said

Ariette,

pointing to some huge trumpet-shaped

flowers. “They will give us cover.”

“Are the flowers

STRONG ENOUGH

to

withstand the star shower?” Will asked.

“Yes, but we must be

very careful

around

them,” Ariette said. “Some of these flowers

may make us fall asleep,” she explained. “We

are in Sleep Flower Woods, home of the

Sleep

Fairies

. Only they know which

flowers cause sleep.”

“The Sleep Fairies? What powers do they

have?” Will asked.

“They collect pollen from certain flowers.

Then they add the pollen to the

evening

clouds

, and that pollen helps all of the

fairies in our world

fall

asleep

,” Ariette

explained.

“That is amazing,” said Nicky.

“But dangerous for us,” said Ariette. “This

star storm will

shake

the pollen loose from

these flowers. So we can’t stay here for long.”

As she spoke, a star hit the flower over

their heads. They

quickly

ran to another

nearby flower before the pollen could fall.

“I hope this

star

storm

ends soon,”

Will said, worriedly.

But more stars

STREAKED

down from

the sky, and very quickly another star hit the

flower above them. They all ran for cover

once more, but there wasn’t a flower close by

that would protect all of them. Nicky and

Colette took cover together, Will and Ariette

found a flower, and Paulina ducked under a

PALE BLUE

flower.

ZAP!

Another star hit it immediately,

and before Paulina could run, grains of

pollen

showered

her. Her eyes began to

droop

right away, and she slid to the ground

like a rag doll.

“

OH NO! PAULINA!

” Will cried, racing

to her side.

“She’s falling asleep!” Colette said.

Paulina was resting in the big,

curled

leaf of the flower.

“

WE MUST WAKE HER

, quickly!” said

Ariette.

At that moment, a

fairy

appeared from

behind the flower stems. She was tall and

slender, and wore a

large pink flower

hat on

her head. She

smiled

silently.

“Good evening, my dear guests,” said the

fairy in a voice as

musical

as a lullaby.

“Good evening to you, Sleep Fairy,”Ariette

replied.

“Oh, a

Weaver

Fairy

in these woods.

What a surprise!” the fairy marveled.

“We are in the middle of a difficult

situation, Sleep Fairy,” Ariette said. “Our

friend Paulina breathed in

pollen

from this

blue flower

and now she has fallen asleep.”

“Can you please help us

wake her up

?”

Nicky asked.

The fairy shook her head. “I am sorry, but

I can’t.”

“How long will she sleep for?” Colette asked.

THE LEGEND OF THE

SLEEP FAIRIES

“She will wake up by herself, after having

dreamed

and

RESTED

,” the fairy

replied.

“But we are on an

important

mission. We can’t

wait,” Will said.

“I am sorry,”

said the fairy.

“Your friend’s

sleep is

very

good

for her.”

“But there must

be some way to wake

her!” Colette said.

The fairy smiled. “You can try.”

Colette shook Paulina’s shoulder. “

Wake

up!

” she said loudly. “It’s me, Colette. We

have to go!”

But Paulina continued to sleep deeply.

Ariette looked up at the sky. “The

star

storm

is passing. The way is clear to

Fairywing Village. I’m afraid we must leave

her here.”

“We can’t. I will

stay

with her,” Colette

said.

Maybe the fairy felt sorry for them, because

then she said, “Actually, there may be one

way to

wake

your friend.”

“What’s that?” Will asked.

“There is a

legend

,” the fairy began. “One

night, a beautiful fairy fell asleep under a

blue flower

just like this one. She didn’t

wake up the next day, or the next. When one

of her sisters realized she was missing, she

went out to search for her and found her

here, in the

Sleep Flower Woods

.

“The sister tried to wake her, but

without success,” the fairy went

on. “So she called on a

young elf

, a

close friend of

her sister’s. She

asked him to wake

her sleeping sister,

and though

the elf

didn’t know

what to do,

he

agreed

to try.

So he knelt next to the fairy and kissed her

hand — and the fairy opened her eyes!”

“What a

romantic

story!” Colette said.

“It is a

beautiful

legend

,” said the Sleep

Fairy, “and we believe that it may be based

on truth, like all legends. Only a true and

pure

affection

can awaken those fallen

into a deep sleep.”

“Yes, but how does that help us?” Ariette

asked.

Colette and Nicky looked at each other and

smiled

.

“We might have an

idea

,” Colette said.

“Maybe Will could try to re-create the

legend,” said Nicky.

Will

blushed

. “Me? I don’t know if that

will work.”

“You’re the closest thing we’ve got to an

elf,” Colette said. “And you have a

strong

connection

with Paulina.”

Will nodded. “I’ll try.”

He knelt next to Paulina, picked up her

paw, and gently kissed it. Nothing happened

right away. But soon Paulina’s eyelids began

to

flutter

! Very slowly, she opened her

eyes. Will quickly

let go

of her paw.

“

Hooray!

” Nicky cheered.

Paulina yawned. “What happened to me?”

“You fell

asleep

,” Ariette explained.

“A

deep

,

deep

sleep,” Colette added.

“But now you’re fine,” Will concluded.

“That’s all that matters.”

Paulina nodded. “Yes, I only remember

that I was having a

good dream

.”

Her friends

smiled

.

“We must go,” Will urged them. Then he

turned to the Sleep Fairy. “

THANK YOU

FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.”

“It was nothing,” the fairy said. “I only told

you a story.”

Will, Paulina, Nicky, and Colette mounted

the unicorns again. Then Ariette flew ahead,

and they followed her to

Fairywing

Village.

Illuminated by the evening light, Fairywing

Village was even more

enchanting

than

Will, Colette, Paulina, and Nicky had

remembered. When they got near the first

cloud houses

, Ariette stopped.

“We must be careful,” she warned. “To

protect their village during the night, the

Color Pixies ask the

Rainbow Moths

to

help.”

“Who are they?” asked Will.

“They are creatures that are able to hear the

smallest noise. When they sense danger, they

release a

colorful substance

in the sky to

alert the fairies,” Ariette explained.

“But if the fairies are

sleeping

, how do

THE RAINBOW

MOTHS

they see the colors in the sky?” Paulina asked.

“The Color Pixies are very sensitive to the

smell

of color,” Ariette explained. “Each

color has its own smell, and it makes their

noses

itch

and wakes them up.”

“Then we cannot

ALERT

the Rainbow

Moths. But you said that they have very good

hearing. How will we sneak past them?”

Colette asked.

“We won’t,” Ariette admitted. “The

Rainbow Moths

will see us at the village

borders. As soon as we enter the village,

we’ll just have to

hurry

and get the crystal.”

Paulina nodded. “Where is it exactly?”

“It’s kept in the

Color Theater,

which holds every shade of color that exists.”

Ariette answered. “But to get there we must

pass through the

GUESS-THE-COLOR

MAZE.”

“

Mazes

are fun,” Paulina remarked.

“This one is special,” Ariette said. “To

reach the theater, you must figure out which

COLOR

hallway to travel down. Each

could lead to the theater — or to nowhere.”

Nicky frowned. “That sounds

puzzling.”

“It’s a little tricky,” Ariette agreed. “When

you step inside the theater, the walls are

white. You must call out a

COLOR

of your

choice, which will then appear.”

“And what if it’s the wrong choice?” Colette

asked.

“Then we must

TURN

BACK

and start

at the beginning,” the fairy answered.

“And how do we know which color to

choose?” Paulina asked.

“You must trust your

intuition

,”

Ariette said. “The correct color is different

each time.”

With the plan in place, Ariette and the

others

flew

into the village. As soon as

they crossed the border, the Rainbow Moths

flew toward them, leaving

color streaks

in

the sky as they went.

“What an amazing sight!” Paulina

exclaimed.

“We could enjoy it more if we

weren’t in

danger

,” Will said.

They landed in front of the

GUESS-THE-COLOR MAZE

. A rainbow

arched over the entrance.

“It’s too bad Violet isn’t

here,” Colette said, thinking of

her

ARTISTIC

friend. “She would

love this!”

“We’ll tell her all about it,” Will

promised.

As they climbed off their

unicorns,

they saw that the sky above them was marbled

with

COLOR

. They heard a great

beating

of wings as they entered the maze.

“The Color Pixies are awake!” cried

Colette.

“Let’s try to hurry!” Ariette said.

Will looked thoughtfully at the maze.

“What’s your

FAVORITE COLOR

?” he asked

the others.

“Mine is

PINK

!” Colette replied

immediately.

“I like

green

, the color of

nature,” Nicky replied.

“I like

ORANGE

,” said Paulina.

“It’s so bright and happy.”

Ariette smiled. “I like

silver

, the color of the

clouds.”

“And I like

BLUE

,”

added Will.

“We can only choose

INSIDE THE MAZE

Pink!

one

color to start,” the fairy reminded

them.

“Then I’ll try!” Colette said. “Pink is

my

color

. It won’t let me down.”

She took a step forward. “

PINK!

” she cried.

The floor and the walls of the maze

immediately turned Colette’s

favorite

shade of bright pink.

“

Wow! Amazing!

” she exclaimed. “I need

to paint the walls of my room this color.”

The others followed, trusting in her. They

walked down a short hallway, which turned

to the right. They walked down another

hallway, and turned to the left.

“Are we

turning

in circles?” Colette

wondered.

“Let’s go a little farther,” suggested Ariette.

The halls of the maze kept

twisting

and

turning

as they walked.

Finally, Nicky called out, “I see the

theater

! Colette chose the right color!”

“I knew that

PINK

would stay true for me,”

Colette said with a grin.

“I think the reason you

succeeded

is

that you were so certain,” Will said.

Tall columns marked the theater entrance,

and another

rainbow

arched overhead.

The door

won’t open!

Let’s go!

Will

PUSHED

on the door, but it

wouldn’t budge.

“We must

hurry,

before the Color

Pixies find us,”

Ariette said anxiously.

They all tried the door,

but it would not open.

“What do we do now?”

Nicky asked.

Will turned to Ariette.

“Is there

another

way

in?”

“This is the only

door I know of,” the

fairy replied. “But let

me

fly

and check.”

Ariette flew off and

returned

quickly

, out of breath.

“I think I found something!” she said.

She led them around to the back of the

theater. There was no door — only a group

of

NUMBERS

painted on the wall.

“What could that be?” Colette wondered.

“I think it’s a kind of puzzle,” said Paulina,

stepping up to closely examine the numbers.

“It’s

connect the dots

!”

She placed her paw on the number

1

and

TRACED

a line between that and number

2

. Immediately, the imaginary line turned

PINK.

“Keep going!” Nicky urged.

Colette glanced over her shoulder. “Are the

Color Pixies

close?” she asked.

“They must be,” said Will, worried. “The

moths would have

awakened

them all

by now.”

“But they must still pass through the

maze

,” Ariette reminded him. “So we

have a bit of a head start.”

Will nodded. “That’s good news.”

As they talked, Paulina worked as

FAST

as she could to connect the numbers.

“It’s taking shape,” Nicky commented.

“Hurry, Paulina!” Colette urged.

They heard a

flutter

of wings overhead

and looked up. The Rainbow Moths had

made it through the maze!

“The Color Pixies can’t be far behind,”

Ariette said.

Just then, Paulina

connected

the

number 99 to 100.

“Done!” she announced with satisfaction.

Everyone admired the finished picture: it

was the image of a

beautiful fairy

!

Then they heard

creaking

hinges.

“There must be a

hidden door

in

the wall, and solving the puzzle has opened

it!” Will realized.

The door swung open.

“Quickly now!” Ariette said, and they all

hurried inside the

Color Theater

Once through the door, they found

themselves in a room full of marvelous

colored light

. The walls, made

of clouds,

constantly

changed color.

“They remind me of

THEATER

LIGHTS

,” Paulina said, remembering the

school plays at Mouseford Academy.

“It reminds me of a

multicolored

forest,” said Nicky, looking around in awe.

Even Ariette seemed

amazed

. “I have

never been inside here before,” she said.

“Others have described it to me, but words

do not do it justice.”

Will gazed around. There was so much to

take in!

THE POWER OF

FRIENDSHIP

“Do you know where we can find the

CRYSTAL

?” he asked.

“It is kept in the

Room

of

Light

,” the

fairy replied. “The pixies keep their most

precious

objects there. It is said to be

the only room with a golden door. It should

be easy to find.”

And it was. They

quickly located the

GOLDEN DOOR

,

which was not

locked

. When

they opened it,

they gasped in

surprise

as a

flash of

white

light

blinded

them for a

moment.

When their eyes adjusted, they saw the

light

REFLECTING

over every surface.

“A

crystal room

! How gorgeous!”

exclaimed Colette.

Looking around in wonder, they stepped

inside. Ariette’s crystal

glittered

on top of

a

pedestal of clouds

in the center

of the room. When she saw it, the

fairy’s eyes filled with tears.

Colette put a paw on her

shoulder. “It must be

wonderful

to see it again.”

Ariette nodded. “I just hope

it is not too late and I still

have my

powers

.”

She reached out to take the

crystal — and something blocked her hand.

“There is some sort of

invisible

barrier

protecting the crystal,” Ariette said.

Nicky

tapped

on it. “Should we try to

break it?” she asked.

Will tapped on it, too. “It feels very hard,

almost like

glass

,” he said.

He pulled a

small hammer

out of his

backpack and hit the barrier with it a few

times, but it didn’t

BREAK.

“No luck,” Will said with a frown.

“We have come all this way, and now we

must

give

up

,” Ariette said sadly.

“We are

NOT

going to give up,” Colette

said firmly. “There must be some way to get

past this invisible barrier.”

She placed both paws on the barrier’s

TRANSPARENT SURFACE.

“Yes, there must be a way!” added Paulina,

placing her paws next to Colette’s.

Nicky walked up and joined her friends.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, and

then a

SHINING FLASH

burst from

the crystal as if it were lit from within. A

bright glow filled the room.

A moment later, the transparent dome

DISSOLVED

. Ariette took the crystal and

stared at it in disbelief.

“

I don’t understand

,” said Nicky.

“We didn’t do anything,” added Paulina.

Ariette smiled at them. “You’re wrong.

You have done much, and my

CRYSTAL

knew that.”

“What do you mean?” asked Colette.

“The

HEART

on my pendant is sensitive

to the strongest, purest feelings, like the

friendship between you three,” the fairy

explained. “When it sensed your friendship,

it responded with a burst of

purelight.”

Paulina looked surprised. “Then our

friendship

dissolved the

BARRIER

protecting the crystal?”

“I believe so,” replied Ariette. “It’s clear

that you love one another and

take care

of one another. And you transmitted all that

to the crystal through your paws.”

Colette, Nicky, and Paulina looked at one

another and then all

HUGGED

tightly.

they cheered happily.

“It’s wonderful,” said Ariette, thinking of

her own dear friend as she looked down

at Galatea’s

CRYSTAL

, which still hung

around her neck.

She slipped off Galatea’s pendant and put

it safely in her pocket. Then she put on her

own crystal. Suddenly, her eyes became

BRIGHT

, her cheeks turned

PINK

, and

her hair shone like

silk.

“I feel so much better,”

said Ariette.

“Do you still have

your

powers

?”

Paulina asked.

Ariette nodded.

“I can feel them.

But now I am

worried about

Galatea

.

We must return

her

CRYSTAL

to her right away.”

“But what about the

Color pixies

? Won’t they stop us?” Colette

asked.

Ariette’s eyes shone. “I have an

idea

.

Follow me!”

As soon as they left the Color Theater, Ariette

said, “I am a

Weaver Fairy

. Now I will

weave something to let us leave this place.”

Surprised, Will, Colette, Nicky, and

Paulina watched as Ariette took an object

from her pocket that looked almost like a

knitting needle

. Then she removed her

shawl and unraveled the

silver

threads

it

was made from. She used the needle to weave

a large fluffy cloud.

Ariette wove and wove without stopping,

and the

shining thread

seemed like it

might go on forever. But it did run out, and

then Ariette began to shape the finished

cloud with her hands. She made it into a

All Aboard!

large

hot-air balloon

!

Finally she nodded to her new friends.

“Everyone on board, quickly!”

Ariette flew alongside the

balloon

as the

others climbed inside. Then she pushed it

toward the wind, and the

CURRENTS

began carrying it away.

“

We’re flying!

” Nicky exclaimed.

“But look down there!” Paulina cried.

The Color Pixies had caught up to them at

last, along with the

MAGIC UNICORNS

.

“Unfortunately, there’s not much

wind

,”

Ariette said. “If we keep going at this pace,

they’ll catch us. But I have another

idea

.

They don’t really want you — they want

me

and my crystal. I will lead them in another

direction while you get back to Galatea.”

“But they’ll

catch you

!” Colette cried.

Ariette shook her head. “I am

FASTER

than the Color Pixies, and the magic unicorns

are easily fooled. If I hide behind a cloud

they will not find me.”

Will nodded. “Good plan.

Be careful

.”

“There’s a strong air current above us that

will take you to the

Cloud Castle

,”

Ariette said. “I’ll give you a push up there.”

“Okay,” said Will. “

Good luck!

”

With that, Ariette

flapped

her wings

and gave them a

PUSH. Will steered the

balloon into the

air currents

as Ariette flew

off, waving good-bye.

Back at the Cloud Castle,

night

had fallen.

“The fairies will all go to

sleep

now,”

Galatea whispered. “They retire early in

hopes of having

good dreams

. Even if they

aren’t dreaming anymore.”

“You look

PALE

,” Violet

noticed. “Are you feeling

okay?”

“I’m a bit

tired

because I’m not

wearing my crystal,”

Galatea admitted.

“Maybe you should

rest,” Violet suggested.

“No, I’ll be fine,”

Queen Nephele’s

Story

Galatea said. “Thank you. But I am worried

about the rest of you. If

Queen

Nephele

realizes that your friends have left the castle,

there will be trouble.”

“I think the fact that we stayed behind

should

confuse

everyone, at least for a

little while,” I said. “And I am sure they will

be here with Ariette soon. Then we can help

them

safely

get to the quarters of the

Weaver Fairies to figure out what is

happening.”

Galatea nodded. “Ariette should have the

dream key

with her. Unless . . . of course!

When she was imprisoned, they would have

taken the key from her.”

“

What is the dream key?

” I asked.

“It opens the doors to the wing of the castle

where the Weaver Fairies sleep,” Galatea

answered.

“Is there any other way to get a key to the

Weaver Fairies’ wing?” Pam asked.

Galatea nodded. “The queen keeps an

extra key to each wing in her treasure chest

inside a

secret room

in the Royal Wing.”

“Can you take us there?” I asked.

“It won’t be easy,” Galatea said. “There is

a hidden passageway that leads to the

Treasure Room, but it’s very

difficult

to

find. And the chest is guarded by the

Crystal Eagles

.”

Violet shivered. “They sound

beautiful

but

scary

.”

“They are both of those things,” said

Galatea. “They are TRANSPARENT

creatures, capable of hiding anywhere.”

“What do they do to intruders?” Pam asked.

“If you try to get past them, they will

appear out of nowhere,” Galatea said.

“Anyone who looks into their

icy eyes

will suffer a terrible fate. The eagles will

steal their dreams so that they

stop

dreaming

forever!”

Violet shivered. “That sounds

awful

!”

Pam looked at me. “Should we try to get

the key?”

“I think we must,” I replied. “Without it,

Ariette cannot get to the Weaver Fairies. But

we must be very

careful

.”

“Yes, the Crystal Eagles must be taken

SERIOUSLY

,” Galatea said. “There is a legend

about them, but I’ll tell you on the way. We

must hurry.”

She led us down a

long hallway

full of

windows facing the palace courtyard. It was

dark outside, but the palace was shining,

illuminated by

brilliant

crystals

.

Galatea began the story in a low voice:

“Long ago, when Queen Nephele was just a

baby

, her parents were abducted by an

evil

wizard. The princess was so sad that she

cried for days and days. From her tears were

born two TRANSPARENT

Crystal Eagles.

From then on, these

MAJESTIC

birds have

watched over her and are always ready to

protect her with their powers.”

“What a

sad story

,” said Violet.

“But it’s also full of hope,” I said. “At least

something was born from her sadness.”

“Maybe, but it would be better if the

queen’s

parents

could return one day,”

Violet said.

Galatea nodded. “Yes, Violet. We fairies

hope

for that each day, but unfortunately,

nobody knows what happened to them.”

“Maybe that’s the reason the queen has

such a

stern

personality

,” Pam guessed.

I thought Pam was right. “Often, a hard

shell hides the sadness of a

tender

heart

,”

I said.

Meanwhile, we had reached the end of the

hallway. In front of us was a

LONG

STAIRCASE

that led to the rooms of

the fairies of the Grand Council. One floor

above them were the queen’s quarters.

“The

Cloud

Castle

is filled with

beautiful and interesting places,” I remarked

as we climbed up the staircase.

We reached a landing, and Galatea led us

through a door at the top. It revealed a

hallway lined with

silver doors

decorated with crystals.

“Those are the rooms of the fairies of the

Grand Council

,” she explained.

“It almost looks like the

dormitory

at

Mouseford!” Pam remarked.

“With a lot more

BLING

,” Violet said,

touching the door.

“The

hidden passageway

is on this floor,

but we must pass through here

quietly

,”

THE TREASURE

ROOM

Galatea whispered. “The fairies should all

be asleep, but if anyone

wakes

and finds

us here, there will be trouble.”

We tiptoed down the hallway and turned

down another one. The walls of this hall

were made of

purple

clouds

with

white patterns on them. Crystal sconces

LIT UP

the walls.

“The door to the passageway is here, but it

is

invisible

,” Galatea told us. “If I had my

crystal, I could find it more easily. But

without it, I am not sure where to

LOOK

.”

“So now what do we do?” asked Pam.

“We must carefully feel the wall,” Galatea

answered. “The door is invisible, but we

should still be able to find the

doorknob

.”

It was a long hallway, so we quickly got to

work, running our paws over every surface

of the

cloud

walls

.

“

Cheese

and

crackers

, I just can’t

find it!” Pam said after we had been looking

for a few minutes.

“I can’t find anything, either,” Violet said.

Galatea put a warning finger to her lips.

“Shhh. We must not

wake anyone

.”

“

Sorry

,” whispered the mouselets.

We quietly continued our search.

I

carefully

moved my paws up and down

the walls. The doorknob had to be there

somewhere! Then, at last, I felt something

solid and

ROUND

beneath my paw.

It was smooth and cold.

I grasped it and turned it. Immediately, I

heard a

CLACK

, and the invisible door

swung open.

Behind me, I heard the others

GASP

in surprise. The wall had opened into a secret

passageway!

“

You did it!

” cheered Violet.

“With a little patience and a little luck,” I

said with a smile.

I gazed through the door. There was a

staircase just ahead, leading

UPWARD

.

Galatea grabbed my arm. “

Wait

, I forgot

to tell you something important. After we go

through the door to the Treasure Room, we

cannot pass through it again. Once we leave,

we must exit through the

HALL OF MIRRORS

.

It is a twisty corridor of mirrors that can

create

DANGEROUS ILLUSIONS

.”

“What do you mean?”

Violet asked.

“Some of the images that

the mirrors

REFLECT

are not real,” the fairy

explained. “We Cloud

Fairies know which are

the fake images right away,

because we are creatures of the sky,

pure

and

clear

. But it may not be so easy for

you.”

“Because we come from the

World

Below

?” I asked.

Galatea nodded. “Exactly, Thea.”

Violet looked thoughtful. “I was in a house

of mirrors at a

carnival

once,” she

said. “I couldn’t tell which reflection was the

real me, and it

terrified

me!”

“Those who are

afraid

will not make it

out of the Hall of Mirrors,” Galatea warned.

Violet took a deep breath. “I will be

STRONG

. I can do it.”

“I know you can, Violet!” Pam said, putting

a paw on her shoulder.

“And we will be right there to

help you

through it,” I promised her.

“Well then, are you ready?” Galatea asked.

Pam and Violet looked at me and

nodded

firmly.

“Good,” Galatea said. “I’ll go first.”

Then we walked up the stairs and entered

the

TREASURE ROOM.

The room that opened up before us was

silent and illuminated by large

CRYSTALS

that resembled lanterns. As soon as we

crossed the threshold, the door

closed

behind us, as Galatea had said it would.

“There are the

dream keys

!” Violet

said, pointing to four keys hanging inside a

case in the center of the room.

“We need the one for the

East

Wing

,

right?” Pam asked. “The Weaver Fairies’

wing.” She reached for the case.

“

Don’t forget

, the Crystal Eagles may

appear out of nowhere,” Galatea reminded

them, nervously glancing around. “And when

they show themselves, don’t look them in the

EYE

, whatever you do.”

I shuddered at the thought of having my

dreams

stolen

from me. We

had to get out of

there quickly.

Suddenly, I heard

a

beating

of wings.

Then an eagle appeared

in front of Galatea.

It looked like a

glasS

sculpture

.

It wasn’t very big, but its

shimmering

wings sent flashes of light around the room.

Violet took a step toward me. Galatea

remained still, lowering her head so she

wouldn’t look the eagle in the

EYE

.

“Noble eagle, allow us to take one of the

dream keys,” said the fairy.

The eagle beat its wings and circled the

room, then stopped again in front of

Galatea

.

“It’s saying

no

. It doesn’t want to give us

the key,” Galatea said.

“Is there anything we can do?” asked

Violet.

Suddenly, the second eagle appeared to us,

sitting on its

perch

. It watched us, but we

were careful not to meet its eyes. Even

though I wasn’t looking at it, I swore I could

feel its gaze

piercing

right into me.

“Please,

eagle

friends

. Give us the key

we are asking for,” said Galatea. “We must

save the Land of Clouds.”

The eagles beat their wings. Then the first

flew

back and joined the other on their

perch.

“I’m afraid they won’t change their minds,”

Galatea said

sadly

.

Then Pam made a

bold

move

. She leaped

for the case holding the keys. One of the

eagles immediately took flight and swooped

down, its

claws

ready to grab her.

Before I could

help

Pam, Violet moved first.

She jumped in front

of Pam and stared

the eagle right in

the

EYES!

For a second, all we heard was the

beating

of the eagle’s wings. Then the

bird returned to its perch, and both eagles

disappeared

from view.

I wasn’t sure if Violet’s courageous act

had

frightened

the creature, or if the

eagle had seen something in Violet’s eyes —

something that told it that we were on a

NOBLE MISSION

.

But Violet had met the eyes of the eagle.

What would happen to her now?

Pam

hugged

her. “Violet! How do

you feel?”

“I don’t know,” Violet replied. “My head

feels strange. It’s as if all my thoughts have

been emptied. And I’m a little

dizzy

.”

“Sit down a moment,” Galatea said.

“Do you think the eagle has

stolen her

dreams

?” I asked the fairy.

She nodded solemnly. “I’m afraid so.”

“Oh, Violet! Why did you do it?” Pam

asked her.

“Because the eagle was going to

attack

you, and I couldn’t let that happen,” Violet

answered.

Pam hugged her again, even more tightly

this time. “You are the

best friend in

the world

! Holey cheese! You’ll get your

dreams back, I promise you!”

“Don’t worry, I’m okay,” Violet said.

“Let’s get the key.”

Galatea opened the case and

took out a key with a handle in the

shape of a

spiraling whirlwind

.

“It’s the key to the East Wing,” she explained.

“We should leave right away,” I said, and

then turned to Violet. “Do you think you can

keep going?”

“Yes, I can do it, Thea,” Violet said bravely.

“Whatever that eagle did to me, it didn’t take

my

STRENGTH

.”

“This way,” Galatea said, pointing to a

door on the

left.

“What about that one?” Pam asked,

pointing to the door on the

right.

“That one leads to the queen’s quarters,”

the fairy replied.

“I’m surprised she didn’t wake up,” Pam

said.

“She must be

dreaming

,” said Galatea.

“It’s practically impossible to wake a Cloud

Fairy once she’s dreaming.”

Then she looked sad. “Poor Weaver Fairies.

I hope they get their

dreams

back soon.”

“They will,” I promised.

Galatea nodded. “But first, we must pass

through the

HALL OF MIRRORS!”

The Hall of

Mirrors

Before we entered the Hall of Mirrors,

Galatea gave us some advice.

“

Look

carefully at each image you see

in the mirror, and then ask your heart if it is

real,” she said. “That is the only way to get

through this.”

“

We’ll try

,” said Pam.

Galatea opened the door and we followed

her into a narrow, twisting corridor

completely covered in

MIRRORS

. Our

reflections were multiplied dozens of times.

Even though we had been prepared for this

effect, we felt

disoriented

.

“Let’s hold paws,” I suggested, thinking

this could help us.

We formed a

line

and proceeded down

the hallway.

Galatea went first, followed by Violet, then

Pam, and then me.

“

Wow, there are a lot of Pams

in here!

” Pam exclaimed.

“I see myself everywhere, too,” Violet said.

“And I look so

pale

.”

“You’re just a little tired,” I said, but I was

worried. Before we left the Land of Clouds,

we would have to find a way to get Violet’s

dreams

back. “Let’s all try to

stay

calm

,” I said.

Galatea looked straight ahead as she led

us. She seemed very

focused

on

getting us through there as soon as possible.

“Hey!” Pam cried suddenly.

Violet spun around. “What’s wrong?”

“I

bumped

my nose against my

own reflection,” she replied.

Then she sighed. “I wish I

had brought a

pizza

in here with me. I

wouldn’t mind seeing

infinite pizzas!”

“How can you joke at a

time like this?” asked Violet.

“Thea said to stay calm,”

Pam replied. “

Joking

helps me stay calm. So

does thinking about

pizza.”

Just then, I saw one

of my

REFLECTIONS

staring at me. It looked

like she was

laughing

at me!

I closed my eyes and opened them. This

time, the reflection looked

SERIOUS

.

Violet must have had the same thing

happen. “Thea, our reflections are

playing

tricks on us!” she said.

“Yeah, my reflection just stuck her tongue

out at me!” Pam said.

“Remember, they are only

ILLUSIONS

,”

Galatea said. “Don’t let them upset you.”

“Let’s stop for a moment,” I suggested.

We all stopped and took some

deep

breaths

. Feeling calmer, we began

walking again.

“How much farther do we have to go?”

Pam asked the fairy. “It seems like this

corridor will

never

end

.”

“That’s part of the illusion,” Galatea told

her. “It’s really not that far.”

Then I saw something that made me

happy

. “Look! A door!”

Full of hope, I ran toward the door — and

bumped

right into it!

“It was just the

REFLECTION

of a door,”

Pam said, disappointed.

We looked around and realized there were

eight

doors in front of us!

“Which door is the real door?” Pam asked.

Galatea studied them. “It is

difficult

to

tell without my crystal, but I sense it is this

second one.”

She approached it — but that was just a

mirror, too.

“

Seven

is my lucky number. Maybe

it’s the seventh one,” Pam said, but she

bumped into a reflection as well.

I took another deep breath and tried to

concentrate. Galatea had told us to trust our

hearts

. And my heart told me to try door

number

four

.

I reached out and touched the door,

hoping

with all my being that I would

touch a real doorknob. Then I felt the cold

sphere and knew I was right.

“It’s the real door!” I cried.

“

Hooray!

” cheered Pam.

Violet and Galatea smiled with relief. I

turned the knob and the door opened. We

were outside the Hall of Mirrors and in a

large corridor full of windows.

“

Finally!

” Pam exclaimed.

Pam rushed to an open window to get a

breath of

fresh

air

. Then her eyes

grew wide.

“

Great sticky pistons!

Look at

that!” she said, pointing.

We rushed to her side. Through the

window, we could see something

flying

down from the sky into the courtyard.

“It looks like a

hot-air balloon

,”

I remarked.

“It could be our friends returning!” Galatea

said. “Hurry, follow me!”

She

RACED

down the corridor, and we

took off after her.

Friends Reunited

We

hurried

outside and ran through the

courtyards, toward the direction of the

balloon. We all hoped the same thing: that

Will, Nicky, Colette, and Paulina had

returned with Ariette and her crystal. But

the sight before us was

surprising

.

Our friends were being carried by a hot-air

balloon made of

clouds

! We had

never seen anything like it. Ariette flew

beside them.

“

You’re back!

” Pam cheered as the

balloon and Ariette landed.

The two fairies hugged

tearfully

.

“I am so

HAPPY

that you are back,”

Galatea said. “It must have been

terrible

to

stay alone inside that tower!”

“It was very lonely, but I always knew that

somehow I would escape and prove my

innocence

,” Ariette said. “That helped

me to get through it.”

“I thought of you every day,” Galatea said.

“Me, too, my friend. And thank you from

the bottom of my

heart

for all that you

did for me,” Ariette said. Then she took

something out of her pocket.

“My

CRYSTAL

!” cried Galatea.

“You saved my life,” Ariette said, placing it

around her friend’s neck. Then she turned to

the rest of us. “

You

all

saved

my

life

.

How can I ever repay you?”

“There is no need,” I said. “The greatest

reward is to see you

free

.”

“And to finish what we came here to do,”

Will said. “To save the

Land of Clouds

.”

“Now Ariette can find out why the Weaver

Fairies aren’t making any more

silver

thread

,” Pam added.

“That won’t be easy, I’m afraid,” Ariette

said. “I must enter the rooms of the Weaver

Fairies, but the queen took the

dream key

from me when I was imprisoned.”

“No problem,” said Galatea. “We have

another one

!”

Ariette was surprised. “How did you get

it?”

“I took it from the queen’s treasure chest,”

Galatea replied.

Ariette’s eyes widened. “You went into the

Treasure Room

? Without your

crystal?”

“But I wasn’t alone,” Galatea said, looking

at Pam, Violet, and me. We smiled.

“We managed to get through the

HALL OF

MIRRORS

,” Pam said proudly.

“You must have some story to tell us,” Will

said.

I glanced at Violet, noticing again how

pale

she was. Now wasn’t the time to tell

that part of the story, though. First, we had

to finish our task here.

“The Weaver Fairies are

sleeping

, so we

should go to their rooms right away,” Galatea

urged. “Now is the perfect time to find out

what is happening!”

Without another word, we slipped back

into the palace again. Galatea and Ariette

guided

us silently through the corridors.

“It’s so quiet,” Colette said. “If the Weaver

Fairies have been sleeping

soundly

, does

that mean they’re dreaming again?”

“Queen Nephele thinks the fairies might

be having

nightmares

about the World

Below, and that’s why they’re not producing

silver thread

,” Ariette replied.

Then we arrived at the door to the East

Wing. Ariette put the dream key in the

lock

. The door opened into a long corridor

lined with the doors to the fairies’ rooms, all

slightly ajar.

“This way,” whispered Ariette.

We

followed

her, trying not to

make a

sound

.

Oddly, a

silver light

poured from

each room. Ariette walked up to the first

door. “

I can’t believe it!

” she

cried, shocked.

We all looked

inside and

gasped

The Dreams of

the Fairies

“It’s

silver

thread

!” Colette whispered

excitedly. Next to each sleeping fairy’s bed, a

soft bundle of silver thread was forming.

“It is!” Ariette said happily. “I knew that

the fairies hadn’t stopped

dreaming

because of me.”

Galatea squeezed her hand. “I was sure,

too, my friend.”

“But if the fairies are still producing silver

thread, then what is the

problem

?” Paulina

asked.

“That is what we need to find out,” said

Will.

We took a few steps into the room and

looked around. The fairies slept

calmly

and

peacefully

. The only sound in the room

was their light, rhythmic breathing.

Ariette approached one of the sleeping

fairies. She closed her

EYES

and

concentrated on the fairy’s dream.

“What is she dreaming about?” asked

Galatea, anxious to know.

“I see endless

blue

skies

,” Ariette

reported. “She and her roommate are

weaving baskets of clouds. And there are

butterflies

! Beautiful butterflies of every

color, flying out of the baskets.”

“But that’s not a nightmare!” said Colette.

Galatea frowned. “And if the fairies are

making silver thread, why aren’t they

weaving

it into clouds in the morning?”

“It is

strange

,” said Ariette. “The silver

threads are always the first thing we see

when we wake up. I did not see any in the

tower, because I cannot make

silver

threads

without my crystal.”

“Let’s check the other rooms,” I suggested.

“Maybe we’ll find a

clue

.”

Moving on tiptoe as quietly as possible, we

went to the other rooms. We saw the same

scene in each one: the fairies slept

peacefully

as bundles of silver thread

grew beside them.

“This is a real mystery,” said Pam.

Ariette suddenly held up her hand. “I

thought I heard a noise.”

“Maybe one of the fairies

woke

up

,”

guessed Colette.

“Or maybe the queen knows we

stole

the

dream key,” Pam added worriedly.

Will walked to the door and looked up and

down the hallway.

“I don’t see or hear anything,” Will said.

“Let’s keep checking the rooms as

quietly

as we can.”

We nodded in agreement and headed for

the next room. Paulina stepped inside first,

and we heard her gasp. We looked past her

and our jaws dropped with

surprise

.

A beautiful bird with

golden

wings

was perched next to the bed of one of the

fairies, and it was eating the silver thread!

“It can’t be!” cried Ariette.

The bird heard her and raised its head.

“It’s a

songwing

!” said Galatea.

“You recognize this bird?” Will asked.

“It is spoken of in the

ancient legends

of

the Land of Clouds,” Ariette replied. “The

legends were often told to me when I was

little and afraid of the dark. The story goes

that the songwing came at night to help

children sleep. It guided them toward

good

dreams

with its golden wings.”

“So it’s a good creature,” said Pam.

“Yes, of course I’m good!” the songwing

piped up in a voice that sounded like the

tones of a

flute

.

“Noble songwing, why are you eating our

silver thread

?” Ariette asked him.

“So that my wings can

shine

in the sky,

kind fairy,” replied the bird.

“But we need our silver thread to

weave

the clouds,” Galatea said. Without our

clouds, our land will

disappear

.”

“I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do,”

the songwing said. “Lately the light in my

feathers has

dimmed

. I am a mythical

creature. I must shine

brightly

to help

the children!”

“But noble songwing, if you eat all of our

silver thread, there will be no more children

to help,” Ariette said sadly. “The Land of

Clouds is in great

danger

!”

Suddenly, we heard

footsteps

in the

corridor.

“It must be the queen!” Ariette said,

alarmed

. “We have been found out!”

And with those words,

Queen Nephele

swept into the room, accompanied by two

fairies from the Grand Council.

A Gift for the

Songwing

“

Ariette!

” exclaimed the queen. “How did

you get here?”

Ariette bowed. “I ask your pardon, Your

Royal Highness.”

“There is no pardon for

disobeying

me,” the queen said sternly. Then she noticed

the rest of us. “What are they doing here?”

“Queen Nephele, please see what we have

discovered

,” Galatea said, stepping aside

to reveal the bird with the golden wings.

“

A songwing!

” the queen exclaimed in

surprise.

“He is responsible for everything, Your

Majesty,” Galatea explained. “He eats the

silver thread every

night

.”

The queen was

speechless

for a moment,

moving her gaze from the songwing to the

bundle of silver on the nightstand.

“The fairies are still

dreaming

,” she

said. She turned to Ariette. “And you were

telling the truth

.”

“Yes. I never lied to you,” Ariette replied.

“And I saw the dream of a sleeping fairy, and

it was

carefree

and

happy

.”

The queen nodded, taking it all in. She put

a hand on Ariette’s shoulder.

“I owe you an apology, Ariette. The Grand

Council and I inflicted an unjust

punishment

on you. For that I am

truly sorry

.”

Ariette smiled. “The important thing now

is that we have solved the problem.”

Queen Nephele turned to the songwing.

“You must

leave

this place and stay away

from our silver thread.”

“Unfortunately,

I

CANNOT

,” the bird

replied stubbornly.

The queen’s eyes

darkened

, but Ariette

spoke up. “I have a solution.”

She took off her

CRYSTAL

and put it

around the songwing’s neck.

“Wear this, and your wings will shine in

the sky like

two

suns

,” she said. “You

will not need to eat our silver thread.”

“Thank you, kind

fairy!” he said.

“Now

fly

away

,

far from here!” Ariette

told him.

The

mythical

bird

took off out the open

window, wings

shining

.

Colette gasped.

“Ariette, what will you do without your

crystal? You will

lose

all of your powers —

or worse!”

Ariette nodded. “I know,” she said. “But I

gave my crystal

freely

.”

“You have such a

big heart

,” Galatea

said, her eyes filling with tears.

Queen Nephele looked at Ariette. “That

was the crystal that you

stole

from the

Color Theater, disobeying my orders.”

Ariette lowered her eyes. “Yes.”

“But you have

proven

your innocence,

so I will pardon you,” said the queen. “And

not only that, you shall be rewarded for your

generous heart

.”

The queen produced a small turquoise

pouch and removed a

pendant

from

it. She handed it to Ariette.

The fairy looked at it in disbelief. “This is

the

Diamond Crystal

! The

brightest

crystal in the realm.”

“It is,” said Queen Nephele. “And it belongs

to the fairy with the

purest

, biggest heart.

No fairy deserves this more than you.”

Ariette put on the Diamond Crystal.

“It will be my

treasure

. Thank

you, my queen,” Ariette

said, her eyes shining.

Queen Nephele turned

to us. “Thank you,

strangers, for all

your

HELP

,”

she said. “I ask

forgiveness for

judging you

wrongly.”

And then she

smiled

for

the first time since we had met her.

“Your Majesty, there is something you can

do for us,” I began, and then I told her what

had happened to

Violet

.

“Ariette, may I borrow the

Diamond

Crystal

for a moment?” Queen Nephele

asked, and Ariette gave it to her.

The queen held the

pendant

in front

of Violet’s face. Our friend closed her

EYES

. Then she opened them and smiled

at us.

“I feel like myself again,” Violet said.

“All is well,” the queen reassured us, and

she handed the pendant back to Ariette.

“

Thank you from the bottom of my

heart,

” I told the queen.

“We must celebrate!” the queen said.

“Please stay and be our guests of honor in

the

Hall of Stars

!”

The Grand Cloud

Ball

Inside the Cloud Castle, the Weaver Fairies

made

STAR

decorations for the ceiling.

They strung garlands of clouds made of

glittering

silver threads. As we admired

their amazing skill, Ariette approached us.

“Do you like them?” she asked, pointing to

the decorations.

“They’re wonderful!” Colette replied. “Can

you

imagine

if we had decorations like

these at Mouseford Academy?”

“I’ve never seen anything like them,” Will

agreed.

“All the

fairy

creatures

of the Land of

Clouds and the neighboring realms will join

the party,” Ariette explained. “Now come

The recipient

is invited to the

Grand Cloud Ball

the first night of the full moon

in the stellar month

of the Blue Pearl

with me. I want to show you something.”

We followed her through the

corridors

of the castle until we reached the

library

.

On a large table in the middle of the room

was a stack of shiny envelopes. Inside each

was a lovely

pink

card

.

“What elegant invitations!” Violet said.

“Would you help me

deliver them

?”

Ariette asked us.

“

Of course

we’ll help!” we replied.

We followed her to the stables, where we

found the flying

UNICORNS

. Then Ariette

handed us

silver thread

.

“Hang the envelopes around the necks of

the unicorns,” the fairy instructed. “They

will

deliver

them.”

As soon as every invitation was attached,

the fairy gave a

signal

and the unicorns

flew off. They were truly amazing, their

glossy coats

gleaming

in the sun.

Galatea joined us. “The

party

begins

soon,” she informed us. “Queen Nephele

asked me to take you to the fairies’ wardrobe,

where you can choose the

dresses

you

would like to wear.”

“Did you say

fairies’ wardrobe

?” Colette

repeated in disbelief. Then she looked at us

with a twinkle in her eye. “

What are we

waiting for?

Let’s go

get ready

!

”

The Thea Sisters burst into

HAPPY

LAUGHTER

, and we hurried after Galatea.

“Let’s not take too long,” I said, thinking

of Colette’s usual behavior back at the

academy. “We’re the

guests of honor

.

We can’t be late!”

After we changed into our beautiful

GOWNS

, we entered the Hall of Stars. It

looked magnificent! And each fairy wore a

gorgeous

dress in the color of a

glowing jewel

.

Ariette pointed to a group

of princes across

the room. “Those

are the

Princes

of Nimbus

,

descendants

of the ancient

sky family,”

she explained.

“They are

known for

their nobility

of

SPIRIT

and courage.”

Then one of the princes broke off from the

group and made his way to the queen.

“That’s actually the King of Nimbus,”

Ariette said. “His name is

Nebus

.”

Everyone bowed as he walked by. Then he

greeted the queen with an

elegant

bow.

She gave him her hand and he led her to

the center of the room, where the two began

to

dance

with grace and elegance.

“They look made for each other,” Nicky

remarked.

“And they seem to be

in love

,” said Violet

with a smile.

Then the Princes of Nimbus approached

our little group. Some

invited

the Thea

Sisters to dance, while some stopped to talk

to me and Will about their travels in

faraway places

.

All the Colors of

the Clouds

The

party

in the Hall of Stars was truly

unforgettable. But when it ended, it was time

for us to return

home

.

We all changed back into our regular

clothes and got ready to leave.

“What a shame that we must leave the

Land of Clouds

so soon,” said Violet when

it was time to say good-bye.

“I will be sorry to see you go,” said Ariette.

“There are still so many things for you to

discover

here.”

“We will never forget you,” I said.

“Perhaps this will help you remember,” a

Color Pixie

piped up. They had become

friendly to us again after we were pardoned

by the queen.

The pixie handed a box

to Violet. She opened it to

see

pots of paint

in every color.

“You can bring some of

the

colors

of our world

to the World Below,” said

Ariette.

“

What a fantastic gift! Thank you!

”

said Violet.

“It’s the least we can do to say thank you,”

said Queen Nephele.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” said Will

with a bow. “We must ask you for one last

favor. We need to reach the

secret passage

to return home

from the Land of Clouds.

Can you show us the way?”

“

We’ll do it!

” the Color Pixies offered.

Ariette and Galatea hugged us

good-

bye

, and we bade our farewells. Then we

climbed aboard some

fluffy

lilac clouds.

The Color Pixies led us to the silver gates

where we had entered the

Land of Clouds

.

“We must leave you here,” the pixies said.

“Good luck!”

We waved to them and climbed off our

clouds

. We walked along a footpath of

clouds until a

light

fog

rose up around us.

We held paws and continued along the

path. We weren’t worried, though. By now

we were used to the feel of the

clouds

under our feet.

After a few minutes, the fog lifted.

“

It’s snowing!

” Nicky cried.

“And look . . . we’re wearing our mountain-

climbing gear again,” Colette said, looking

down at her

boots

. “How can that be?”

Will searched the horizon for a landmark.

“Those lights over there look like they could

belong to our

helicopter

.”

“Does that mean we’re at base camp in

Mount Everest, back in the

real

world

?”

Paulina asked.

Will smiled. “Journeys to

fantasy

worlds

are always full of surprises!”

I nodded in agreement. And this time, the

surprise was a good one. Our return to the

real world had been so simple and sweet,

like

waking up

from a wonderful dream!

One Last Surprise

We were silent on the ride back to the

SEVEN ROSES UNIT

. Each of us was

thinking about the

EXTRAORDINARY

adventure we had just

experienced.

After the helicopter

landed, Will turned to

us.

“Once again, we have

succeeded in returning

peace

to one of

the

fantasy worlds

,”

he said. “Thanks to all of

you.”

“It was a demanding

mission, but we are always happy to help,” I

said.

“I could not have completed this

mission

without every one of you,”

Will said. “I’m sure the Seven Roses Unit

will call on you again soon.”

We said

good-bye

to Will and boarded

the copter again for our return to Mouseford

Academy. When we finally arrived, we were

happy

and excited, but also very

tired

.

I headed to my office to begin jotting down

notes about the journey so I wouldn’t forget.

A few hours later, Colette and Pam

knocked

on my door.

“Thea, could you please come to our room

for a moment?” Colette asked. “We’d like to

show you something.”

“Sure,” I said, feeling

curious

. “What’s

this about?”

“We can’t tell you. It’s a

surprise

,” Pam

replied.

When I got to Colette and Pam’s room, the

surprise hit me with a

blast

of

color

.

The Thea Sisters had used the

pixie

colors

to paint clouds all over the walls! I

knew that those beautiful colors would

always remind us of our journey through the

Land of Clouds

.

“This adventure was so amazing,” said

Paulina. “I can’t even imagine what our next

one will be.”

Nicky smiled. “Well, I know that whatever

happens . . .

OUR

FRIENDSHIP

WILL

LEAD

US

TO

SUCCEED

!

”

Don’t miss any

of my fabumouse

special editions!

Don’t miss any of

these exciting Thea

Sisters adventures!

What is the secret of the

clouds?

The Thea Sisters have received an urgent message

from their friend Will Mystery. The magical land of

the clouds is in danger — the mouselets must find

out why the clouds are disappearing!

Even their path to this kingdom is treacherous, since

they can only enter from the top of the world: Mount

Everest. Once they’re inside, the mice meet fairies,

elves, unicorns, and giants. But who can the Thea

Sisters count on? It’s an incredible journey to restore

harmony to this enchanted land!

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