Maddie Saves the Ghost Mermaid

 Maddie was right in the middle of her doll’s wedding to her stuffed bear when she felt it. That funny little tickle at the back of her neck. The type of tickle that only came when something magical was around.

“Eoin?” Maddie jumped up. “Eoin where are you? I know you’re here.”

But Eoin the leprechaun didn’t pop out of his hiding place. Strange. Maddie went back to the most important part of the wedding, but felt it again. This time, Maddie was sure she heard breathing. The tickle on her neck became a big bowl of butterflies in her tummy. Maddie grabbed her bear and held it out.

“Come out or this bear gets it.” Maddie frowned. What exactly would the bear get? That never made sense when she heard it on TV. Maybe he would get ice cream! Maddie whipped around. She was sure she just saw something in the corner of her eye. “Eoin?”

Maddie grabbed her wand and ran to William’s room. The wedding would have to wait. “William? Have you seen something scary in the house? Something magical and scary?”

William looked up from his pirate ship toy. “Nope. Want to play pirates?”

“Do I get to be the damsel? Wait. No, I can’t. I have to go find the magical thing. I’ll play pirates when I get home.”

“Home?”

“From the adventure, silly!” Maddie ran downstairs. Something was in her house and she had to make it leave her alone. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and screamed.

There was a skeleton in the window! And a bat on her door! Maddie backed up and hid on the stairs until she noticed her trick-or-treat bag sitting on the table.
Wait! Tomorrow was Halloween. That would explain all the black and orange Mommy had decorated the house with. And that meant . . . Maddie gasped.

“I know what you are.” She twirled in a circle, trying to find the thing that kept standing by her. “You’re a ghost, aren’t you?”

A shimmery something started to appear right in front of her. It was in the shape of . . . wait. A mermaid.

“Are you a mermaid ghost?”

The ghost nodded.

You are? Oh, I knew it!” Maddie clapped her hands. “Does this mean I need to help you? I get to go back to the fairy world?”

The mermaid nodded.

Maddie grinned and ran for the door, slamming it open as she ran outside. “Muffins! I need you!”

Muffins was Maddie’s unicorn friend who lived in the fairy world. She wished for him as a Christmas present for her sister, Megan, but now Muffins just played with Maddie instead.

The unicorn appeared in front of her and whinnied his annoyance. Maddie was pretty sure something must have made him mad before she called for him. He could never be mad at her after all.

“We need to go to the fairy world and save the mermaid. Do you know where Eoin is?” Maddie tapped her wand on her hand, sending little sparks out of the tip. Mushrooms popped up on the grass below her. Oops. Mommy wouldn’t like that very much.

A small leprechaun appeared seconds later with a toothbrush in his mouth, wearing a pair of footed pajamas. He snapped his fingers and the toothbrush disappeared. “I was just about to go to bed. Do you need something?”

“I have a . . .” Maddie lowered her voice to make it more mysterious. “A ghost mermaid following me.”

Eoin blinked. “A ghost mermaid?”

“Yes!” Maddie smiled. “Isn’t it great? And I get to save it!”

“You’re sure that’s what it was?” Eoin leaned against Muffins. “I’ve seen Halloween decorations in all shapes and sizes. Maybe that’s what you saw.”

Maddie put her hands on her hips. “That’s not what it was. I saw a ghost mermaid. Now, let’s go save her. I’ll make Muffins big. Stand back.”

With a whoosh and a swish of her hand, Maddie pointed her wand right at Muffins, and he grew into a full-size unicorn. Maddie climbed up on him, then helped Eoin get on.

“Let’s go, Muffins!”

Muffins ran toward Mommy’s
flowerbed and leaped into the air. The flowerbeds disappeared, replaced with the trees in the fairy world