Abby passed the ball toward Rachel, but just as Rachel was about to catch it, a goblin leaped in front of her and swatted the ball away.

“Oh no!” Rachel sighed. She stood beneath the basket, watching sadly as a goblin dribbled the ball speedily down to the other end of the court. As she stood there, a shower of purple sparkles rained down around her. Rachel glanced up in surprise. Brittany the Basketball Fairy was sitting on the rim of the hoop!

Chapter 3 - Fairy Help at Hand

Brittany waved at Rachel and fluttered down to join her. She wore a blue-and-purple sports skirt and shirt, and matching basketball shoes. Her blond hair was neatly tied up with ribbons and a purple headband.

“Don’t be sad, Rachel,” Brittany whispered, landing lightly on Rachel’s shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll find another way to get my basketball back.”

“I hope so,” Rachel said eagerly. “It’s great to see you, Brittany!”

The fairy grinned and slipped quickly into the pocket of Rachel’s warm-up pants.

At that moment, the referee blew her whistle. “The Mean Green Basketball Team wins, twenty to zero!” she announced.

The goblins cheered loudly. Meanwhile, Abby’s team trudged away.

“What a blowout!” Abby groaned, as she and Kirsty came over to Rachel. “We hardly touched the ball the entire game. But thanks for playing with us, you guys. We’re going to try some of the other sports now. Do you want to come?”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll look around a little more first,” Rachel said. “We’ll find you later.”

As Abby waved good-bye, Rachel pulled Kirsty to the side of the court. She wanted to get away from the goblins, who were still celebrating.

“Look who’s here,” Rachel whispered.

“Hello, Kirsty,” called Brittany, fluttering out of Rachel’s pocket.

“Oh, Brittany!” Kirsty exclaimed. “Thank goodness you’re here. We really need your help to get the magic basketball.”

Brittany pointed her wand at the giddy goblins. “We’d better stay close to them, and wait for our chance to grab the ball,” she suggested. “Look, they’re leaving.”

Two other teams had shown up for a game, and the goblins were hurrying off the court, still chatting excitedly. Their captain led the way, carrying the magic basketball.

Brittany ducked back into Rachel’s pocket, and the girls followed the goblins. They were careful to stay a short distance behind the goblins, so that they wouldn’t be seen.

“Okay, we’re going to practice shooting now,” the captain said bossily. He led his team into the rec center. “We’ll use one of the indoor courts where it’s nice and quiet.”

The other goblins groaned.

“That’s boring!” one complained loudly. “Can’t we do something else? We’re great at shooting already!”

The captain glared at him. “What do you mean, boring?” he snapped. “There’s always room for improvement. Now, come on!”