Julia the Sleeping Beauty Fairy

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  Over the Drawbridge

  Fairy Tale Lane

  A Wooden Bed

  Grumbling Goblins

  Pillow Fight!

  The Magic Jewelry Box

  Teaser

  Copyright

  The Fairy Tale Fairies are in for a shock!

  Cinderella won’t run at the strike of the clock.

  No one can stop me—I’ve plotted and planned,

  And I’ll be the fairest one in all of the land.

  It will take someone handsome and witty and clever

  To stop storybook endings forever and ever.

  But to see fairies suffer great trouble and strife,

  Will make me live happily all of my life!

  Rachel Walker rested her hand on the drawbridge chain of Tiptop Castle and looked down at the moat below. Her best friend, Kirsty Tate, was standing beside her, gazing at the green lawns and flower gardens that surrounded the castle. They had paused halfway across the drawbridge to admire the view.

  “I feel like a princess standing here,” said Kirsty in a dreamy voice. “It’s just like something out of a fairy tale!”

  “We’re so lucky to be able to stay here for the Fairy Tale Festival,” said Rachel, as the spring breeze ruffled her blond hair.

  It was spring vacation, and Kirsty was staying with Rachel for a very special reason. Tiptop Castle was a beautiful old castle on the edge of Tippington, and this year it was hosting the famous Fairy Tale Festival.

  “I can’t wait to see all the people dressed up as fairies and fairy tale characters,” said Kirsty.

  “I wonder if we’ll meet any real fairies,” said Rachel.

  The girls shared a happy smile. They had been friends of the fairies ever since they met on Rainspell Island, and had shared many amazing adventures.

  “Come on,” Kirsty said. “Let’s go inside.”

  The castle gatehouse was decorated with twinkling white lights. Inside was a festival organizer dressed as Puss-in-Boots. He waved his paw at Kirsty and Rachel, and then stroked his whiskers.

  “Welcome to Tiptop Castle!” he said in a deep voice. “What are your names?”

  The girls told him, and he checked them off on his list. Then he gave them a big smile.

  “Please enter the castle and explore with the other children until lunchtime,” he said. “You can go anywhere you like and look at everything. Have fun!”

  “This is going to be amazing!” said Rachel, hurrying inside and gazing around the large entrance hall.

  A chandelier hung from the ceiling, glittering with dangling crystals. More twinkling lights were wrapped around the banisters of a wide staircase, and suits of armor stood on each side.

  “Where should we look first?” asked Kirsty.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” said Rachel, taking her best friend’s hand. “I want to see what a princess’s bedroom looks like!”

  The girls quickly ran up the staircase and discovered a long, wide hallway. All the doors were open, and they looked inside each of them, gasping at what they saw. Every room was decorated in a different way. Rachel’s favorite had golden furniture and red velvet curtains. The one Kirsty liked best had a silver four-poster bed in the middle. It was surrounded by white drapes and topped with a thick canopy of shiny satin. Pretty blue curtains hung from the tall windows.

  “It looks like a mermaid’s bedroom,” she said with a happy sigh. “Look—the mirror is decorated with tiny silver seashells!”

  All of the bedrooms were so beautiful! When they reached the end of the hall they could hardly wait to see the rest of the castle. A second staircase led them back down to the ground floor, where they skidded across a polished oak floor into the music room.

  “Look at the piano!” exclaimed Rachel.

  A beautiful white grand piano stood on a blue rug. A huge mirror over the fireplace made the large room seem even bigger. Two big couches with clawed feet stood beside the fireplace. There were tall white lilies on every table.

  “I wonder what’s in there,” said Kirsty.

  She pointed to a set of double doors that led into another room. When they walked through, the girls discovered a long dining room. A huge wooden dining table sat in the middle. Silver candle holders topped the table, and paintings of kings and queens filled the walls.

  “This is just what I imagined a fairy tale castle would be like,” said Rachel. “They must have amazing feasts in this room!”

  Just then, they heard the sound of laughter outside the room.

  “That must be some of the other kids who are here for the festival,” said Kirsty. “Let’s go and say hello.”

  She went to the door of the dining room and stepped back out into the hallway, but no one was there. Rachel joined her, and they heard footsteps running up the staircase.

  “They must have gone to explore the bedrooms,” said Rachel. “Never mind—I’m sure we’ll meet them later. Let’s see where this door leads.”

  She turned the handle of the nearest door, and they walked into a cozy reading room. Large, soft armchairs were arranged around the room next to polished side tables filled with snacks and jugs of water. The walls were lined with shelves of books that reached all the way to the high ceiling, and the girls gazed up at them in wonder.

  “Look, there are ladders so you can reach the highest shelves,” said Kirsty.

  “Those reading chairs look really comfy,” said Rachel. “Let’s choose some books and snuggle up in them.”

  She turned to the nearest shelf and gave a cry of surprise. One of the books was glowing! Feeling excited, Rachel pulled the book off the shelf and out fluttered Hannah the Happily Ever After Fairy!

  “Hello, Hannah!” exclaimed Rachel and Kirsty together.

  “It’s wonderful to see you both!” said Hannah, her eyes shining happily. “I’ve come because I know how much you like reading, so I have a surprise for you.”

  She waved her wand, and there was a tinkling sound as silver fairy dust sparkled around them. The girls shrank to fairy size and felt gauzy wings fluttering on their backs. Their eyes shone with excitement as they realized that Hannah was taking them to Fairyland.

  In the blink of an eye, the reading room had disappeared. Rachel and Kirsty were standing on a narrow road lined with stone. There were seven pretty cottages spaced out along the road, with straw roofs, and roses and honeysuckle growing by the doors. The smoke that came from the chimneys sparkled in all the colors of the rainbow, and the mouthwatering smell of freshly baked cakes hung in the air.

  “Welcome to Fairy Tale Lane,” said Hannah.

  As she spoke, the cottage doors opened and seven beautiful fairies peered out. When they saw the girls, they came hurrying over to say hello.

  “These are the Fairy Tale Fairies,” said Hannah with a beaming smile. “These four are Julia the Sleeping Beauty Fairy, Eleanor the Snow White Fairy, Faith the Cinderella Fairy, and Lacey the Little Mermaid Fairy.”

  “Hello,” said Rachel and Kirsty.

  “And these three are Rita the Frog Princess Fairy, Gwen the Beauty and the Beast Fairy, and Aisha the Princess and the Pea Fairy,” Hannah finished.

  “It’s nice to meet you all,” said Rachel, smiling at the fairies. “I didn’t know that there were Fairy Tale Fairies!”

  “Oh yes,” said Julia, whose auburn hair was tied in a loose bun. “Each of us takes care of a fairy tale and the characters in it.”

  “Without our care, the characters could get lost and the stories would be empty,” added Eleanor.

  Faith squeezed Kirsty’s hand and smiled shyly.

 
“Hannah told us how much you like fairy tales,” she said. “We have a present for you.”

  Lacey pulled a book from behind her back and handed it to the girls. It was so sparkly that it was hard to know whether it was gold or silver, and the title was written in swirly pink lettering:

  The Fairies’ Book of Fairy Tales

  A silky pink ribbon bookmark dangled from the pages.

  “Oh, thank you!” said Kirsty in a thrilled voice. “It’s the most beautiful book I’ve ever seen!”

  Eagerly, Rachel opened the book and turned to the first story. But to her surprise, the page was completely blank. She turned some more pages, and found that they were all blank.

  “I don’t understand,” said Julia, gazing at the book in dismay.

  She glanced over at her cottage window, and then let out a cry of alarm.

  “My magic jewelry box!” she exclaimed. “I always keep it on the windowsill, but it’s not there!”

  Exchanging worried looks, the other fairies dashed into their cottages. Seconds later they came back out, looking pale and anxious. All their magic objects had gone missing!

  “This explains why The Fairies’ Book of Fairy Tales is blank,” said Julia with a groan. “But where could our magic objects be?”

  “I can guess,” said Kirsty suddenly.

  She pointed to the end of the road, where some goblins were sneaking away! Each one of them had an object clutched in his hands.

  “They’ve stolen the magic objects!” Rachel cried. “Come on, we can catch them if we’re quick!”

  The girls zoomed off through the air as fast as their wings could flutter, but before they could reach the goblins, Jack Frost leaped out in front of them!

  “Stop!” he snarled. “Those fairy objects are mine now, and I’m taking them to the human world!”

  “No,” said Kirsty, trying to sound brave. “They belong to the Fairy Tale Fairies. You should give them back.”

  “Tough luck,” Jack Frost snapped. “I’ve had enough of silly fairies and princesses. From now on, all fairy tales are going to be about me, me, ME!”

  The goblins had stopped at the end of the road, and they cheered when they heard what he said.

  “Please stop!” cried Julia, flying up to join the girls. “Just think of all the children who won’t have fairy tales to read.”

  “I don’t care,” said Jack Frost with a sneer. “And what’s more, I’m going to start with Sleeping Beauty. From now on, it’s going to be called Sleeping Jack Frost!”

  As the girls gave horrified gasps, there was a loud boom of thunder. With a bolt of icy magic, Jack Frost and the goblins disappeared into the human world.

  Hannah and the Fairy Tale Fairies flew up to join Julia and the girls.

  “Jack Frost has taken your magic objects to the human world,” said Kirsty. “He’s planning to make your fairy tales all about him, starting with Sleeping Beauty.”

  The fairies looked very upset.

  “That means that the fairy tale characters must be in the human world, too,” said Julia. “We have to get our magic objects back and return the characters to their stories, or fairy tales will be ruined forever.”

  “Please let us help you,” said Rachel. “We can’t let Jack Frost do this to our favorite stories!”

  The Fairy Tale Fairies looked very grateful, and Hannah nodded.

  “I think it would be a good idea to help Julia first,” she said.

  “Oh yes, please,” said Julia. “I need my magic jewelry box to rescue Sleeping Beauty and return her to her story.”

  “Then we should go back to the human world right away and start looking,” said Kirsty.

  Julia nodded and, with a wave of her wand, she whisked all three of them back to Tiptop Castle. The girls found themselves standing in the cozy reading room, human-size again. Julia fluttered between them.

  “Where should we start looking?” she asked in a breathless voice.

  Before the girls could reply, they heard laughter coming from the big dining room next door.

  “I wonder what’s so funny,” said Kirsty.

  “Let’s go and find out,” Rachel suggested. “Julia, you can hide in my pocket if you want.”

  Julia slipped into Rachel’s pocket, and then the girls ran through to the dining room. They found a crowd of giggling children wearing fairy tale costumes—from frog princes to enchanted princesses and fairy godmothers. They were all standing around the long dining table, and Rachel and Kirsty had to stand on tiptoes to see what they were laughing at.

  A beautiful young woman was lying in the middle of the table, fast asleep. She was wearing a long golden gown with huge puffed sleeves, and her raven-black hair spread around her head in long, silky coils. Her skin looked as smooth as velvet.

  “How on earth can she sleep through all this laughter?” Kirsty wondered aloud. “Who is she?”

  “She’s one of the festival organizers, of course,” guessed a girl dressed as a pumpkin. “Why else would she be dressed like that?”

  “It’s strange that she’s fallen asleep on the table,” said Rachel.

  “Maybe she’s been working hard to get ready for the festival,” Kirsty suggested. Then she lowered her voice. “Come on, we have to start looking for Julia’s magic jewelry box.”

  But as they moved toward the door, Julia peeked out of Rachel’s pocket and then let out a squeak of surprise.

  “That’s not a festival organizer,” whispered the little fairy. “That’s Sleeping Beauty!”

  Rachel and Kirsty stared at the princess, hardly able to believe that they were looking at the real Sleeping Beauty. Then Kirsty noticed something that made her heart thump. Four pairs of large, green feet were poking out from under the dining table!

  “Look!” Kirsty whispered, nudging Rachel. “Do those look like goblin feet to you?”

  “Definitely,” said Rachel with a frown. “Come on, let’s get closer.”

  None of the other children had noticed the feet—they were all too busy giggling at Sleeping Beauty. Rachel and Kirsty crouched down beside the table and listened.

  “My arms are aching from carrying that girl,” complained a scratchy voice.

  “Mine, too,” said a deeper voice. “I don’t see why we had to carry her all the way down from the big bedroom.”

  “Because Jack Frost needed the four-poster bed so he could be Sleeping Jack Frost, of course,” squawked a third goblin voice.

  “Speaking of Jack Frost, shouldn’t we get back upstairs?” said a fourth goblin, sounding nervous. “He might want something and he’ll be angry if we’re not there.”

  “They’re coming out,” whispered Kirsty.

  There was a scratching sound under the table, and then the girls saw the four goblins crawling out from under the table on their stomachs. They scrambled across the floor, unseen by the other children, and slipped out of the dining room.

  “Quick, let’s follow them,” said Rachel. “They can lead us to Jack Frost!”

  Kirsty and Rachel hurried out of the dining room and bumped right into the man dressed as Puss-in-Boots, who had met them at the entrance.

  “Hi, Rachel and Kirsty,” he said. “Are you having fun exploring?”

  The girls groaned inwardly as the goblins disappeared up the stairs.

  “It’s been really exciting so far,” said Rachel. “We were just going to have another look upstairs.”

  “That’s fine,” said Puss-in-Boots. “But remember, we’ll be serving lunch in the garden, so don’t miss it!”

  He walked on, and Rachel and Kirsty ran up the stairs. The landing was empty.

  “They’ve gone into a bedroom,” said Kirsty. “But which one?”

  Then they heard footsteps on the stairs behind them. They turned around and saw a handsome young man dressed as a prince coming toward them. He wore a large felt hat with a feather in it, and his red tunic was stitched with gold thread.

  “Good morning,” he said, pulling off his h
at and sweeping a low bow. “I am Prince Humphrey.”

  Rachel and Kirsty smiled at him, guessing that he was another festival organizer.

  “We already know about the lunch outside,” said Rachel.

  “Lunch outside?” repeated Prince Humphrey in a puzzled voice. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m looking for Sleeping Beauty.”

  “That’s the real prince from the fairy tale!” whispered Julia from Rachel’s pocket.

  “Oh my goodness, you’ve come to wake her up with a kiss, haven’t you?” asked Kirsty in excitement. “She’s downstairs in the dining room.”

  The prince darted back down the stairs, and the girls shared a smile before they hurried across the landing toward the bedrooms.

  “Wait!” said Julia suddenly. “It will be easier to hide from Jack Frost if you are fairies, too. Can you find a place to hide so that I can transform you?”

  There was a large statue of a fairy on the landing, and Rachel pulled Kirsty behind it. Then Julia flew out of Rachel’s pocket and waved her wand. Instantly, the girls were fluttering their beautiful wings and hovering beside Julia. They made sure that no one was coming and then zoomed toward the bedrooms.

  “The goblins mentioned a four-poster bed,” said Rachel. “So Jack Frost must be in the silver-and-blue room that you liked best, Kirsty.”

  The three fairies flew to the open door of the bedroom and looked in. Jack Frost was lying on the beautiful silver bed, wearing a long blue nightgown and an old-fashioned nightcap. His head was buried in a plump pillow, and Rachel noticed that his wand was lying on the ornate bedside table. The four goblins were lying on the floor around the bed, fidgeting and kicking each other. Each of them had a thin pillow, but they didn’t look very sleepy.

  “Get your foot out of my mouth!” squawked one.