Julia the Sleeping Beauty Fairy

by Daisy Meadows

  “I can’t help it! I can’t get comfortable,” said another.

  Suddenly, Jack Frost sat bolt upright as if there were a spring inside him.

  “You all are too noisy!” he roared at the four goblins. “How am I supposed to sleep with all this racket? BE QUIET!”

  He flopped back onto the bed as the goblins froze with fear. Julia fluttered into the room and waved to Rachel and Kirsty, who followed her. They all perched on top of the satin bed canopy.

  “My pillow’s too bumpy,” muttered one of the goblins.

  “Mine’s too squishy,” said another.

  “I’ll take it,” said a third, grabbing for the pillow.

  Rachel, Kirsty, and Julia lay on their stomachs and looked over the canopy.

  “Any sign of my magic jewelry box?” whispered Julia.

  The girls shook their heads. All they could see was the tassel on Jack Frost’s nightcap, and the squirming green limbs of the four goblins.

  “It’s no use,” said Jack Frost. “I can’t sleep.”

  “We can’t sleep, either,” wailed the goblins.

  “Then you might as well give me your pillows,” said Jack Frost. “Hand them over NOW!”

  “It’s not fair!” wailed the goblins as Jack Frost snatched their pillows. “You’ve already taken our blankets.”

  “I don’t care about fair!” Jack Frost bellowed. “I care about ME! Now, sing me a lullaby.”

  “Oh no.” Rachel groaned. She had heard the goblins sing before. “We might need earplugs.”

  Jack Frost sank back into the mound of pillows and the goblins linked arms and started to sing.

  “Rock-a-bye Jack Frost on the soft bed.

  When he shouts loud, it fills us with dread.

  When he gets mad, the snowflakes will fall.

  He’ll keep our blankets, pillows and all.”

  Their squawky voice made the fairies wince. Jack Frost pulled his nightcap down over his ears and plumped up his pillow.

  “You call that a lullaby?” he snarled. “Just be quiet and lie down.”

  “Look!” Kirsty hissed.

  As Jack Frost plumped up his pillow, he revealed the corner of an engraved wooden box hidden underneath it. Julia sharply drew in her breath.

  “That’s my magic jewelry box!” she exclaimed. “Thank goodness we’ve found it! But how can we get it back?”

  The goblins lay down again, grumbling under their breaths. Quietly, they pulled new pillows from under the bed. The fairies could only catch a few muttered words.

  “The floors are too hard.”

  “It’s so chilly!”

  An idea suddenly popped into Rachel’s head, and she turned to Kirsty and Julia with excitement in her eyes.

  “Everyone loves a pillow fight,” she whispered. “We just need a few more pillows …”

  Julia laughed and flicked her wand. At once, a huge mound of soft pillows appeared beside the goblins, who cheered and flung themselves into the pile. The fairies zoomed down from the canopy and Julia returned Kirsty and Rachel to their human form. Rachel picked up a pillow and gently threw it at the nearest goblin. He turned and glared at her for a moment, then a huge, toothy smile spread across his face.

  “PILLOW FIGHT!” he yelled.

  Seconds later, pillows were flying through the air as fast as the goblins could hurl them. They were throwing them at each other as well as at the girls, and Jack Frost started jumping up and down on the bed in a rage.

  “Stop it!” he shrieked. “I’m trying to sleep!”

  The girls couldn’t help giggling as they flung pillows back at the goblins. Julia flew back to the canopy and used her wand to make more and more pillows, until the floor was completely hidden underneath them.

  Feeling brave, Rachel took aim and hurled a pillow at Jack Frost’s head. His nightcap came off and he shook his fist at her.

  “We have to make him join in the fight and get him away from the magic jewelry box,” Rachel said.

  Kirsty grabbed another pillow and flung it at Jack Frost with all her might. He fell over backward and then bounced up again, red with anger.

  “You pesky humans!” he screeched. “I’ll make you sorry for disturbing me!”

  He snatched up his plump pillow and threw it at them as hard as he could, revealing the magic jewelry box lying on the mattress. The girls ducked the pillow and Rachel dived toward the bed. But Jack Frost was too quick for her. With a sneering laugh he snatched up the jewelry box, jumped down from the bed, and sprinted out of the room.

  “After him!” Julia cried. “We can’t let him get away again!”

  Rachel and Kirsty raced after Jack Frost, who had pulled his nightgown up over his knees so that he could run faster. Behind them, they could hear the patter of goblin feet. Julia zoomed above their heads.

  “He’s going downstairs!” she called. “Faster!”

  The girls ran downstairs and chased Jack Frost into the dining room. He skidded around the huge table and stood in the far corner, panting. The girls stopped to catch their breath, too, and then noticed that Sleeping Beauty was no longer lying on the table. She was sitting up, and her eyes were open. She was awake! Prince Humphrey was standing beside the table and holding her hand. They both looked at Jack Frost and the girls in surprise.

  “Where are the other kids?” asked Rachel, looking around.

  “They went outside to have some lunch,” said Prince Humphrey.

  Sleeping Beauty blinked a few times and then spoke in a soft, musical voice.

  “I’m a little confused,” she said. “Where is my palace? Shouldn’t I be in my bed?”

  “It’s all Jack Frost’s fault,” said Kirsty, looking at the goblin. “He stole Julia’s magic jewelry box. Without it, you can’t get back into your own story! We’ve been trying to get it from him.”

  “In that case, please allow us to help you,” said Sleeping Beauty.

  She jumped down from the table, and Prince Humphrey turned to face Jack Frost.

  “You’ll never catch me,” said Jack Frost, curling his lip. “A couple of little girls and two silly fairy tale characters are no match for the great Jack Frost!”

  “We’ll see about that,” said Sleeping Beauty in a commanding voice. “I am a princess, and I insist that you give me that jewelry box right now!”

  Prince Humphrey ran toward Jack Frost, who darted around the table in the opposite direction. Sleeping Beauty blocked his way, and he dodged sideways, diving under the table and scrambling out near the door. But Rachel and Kirsty were there, and he was forced to duck back under the table again. Sleeping Beauty, Prince Humphrey, and the girls each crouched down at one side of the table.

  “There’s no way out,” said Rachel, remembering what she had noticed in the bedroom. “Your wand is upstairs where you left it, so you can’t escape by magic. Give us the jewelry box and we will let you go.”

  Just then, they heard the heavy patter of bare feet behind them, and the four goblins appeared in the doorway.

  “Just in the nick of time,” yelled Jack Frost. “CATCH!”

  He tossed the magic jewelry box over Kirsty’s head toward the door. But Kirsty sprang into the air, reaching her hands high above her head.

  “Noooo!” shrieked Jack Frost as Kirsty’s hands closed around the box.

  “Yes!” Rachel cheered in delight. “You didn’t know that Kirsty’s the best volleyball player in her school!”

  Smiling with relief, Kirsty handed the magic jewelry box to Julia, and it immediately shrank to fairy size. Jack Frost jumped up in fury and banged his head on the underside of the table. A large lump appeared under his spiky hair.

  “You annoying humans!” he snapped, clutching his head and crawling out from under the table. “Just you wait until I’ve got my wand in my hand!”

  “It’s too late,” said Rachel. “Julia has her magic jewelry box back.”

  Jack Frost stuck out his tongue at her and then stomped out of the room with the gob
lins.

  “Thank you both for all your help,” said Julia, holding her magic jewelry box close to her heart. “I’ll never forget your kindness—or your courage!”

  She blew them each a kiss and then disappeared back to Fairyland in a shimmering haze of fairy dust. Prince Humphrey clasped Sleeping Beauty in his arms as they started to shimmer and fade.

  “Good-bye!” Sleeping Beauty called. “Thank you!”

  Moments later they had gone and the girls were alone in the dining room.

  “Do you think they’ve returned to their story?” asked Kirsty.

  “I hope so,” said Rachel as her stomach gave a loud rumble. “But right now, I think we should go and get some lunch with the others!”

  That night, Rachel and Kirsty felt like princesses as they got ready for their first night at Tiptop Castle. Their bedroom was at the top of one of the tall castle towers, and the tiny arched windows looked out over the glassy lake and the beautiful moonlit gardens.

  “This is the most incredible room I’ve ever slept in,” said Kirsty.

  She gazed around at the dark wooden furniture, which had been polished until it gleamed, and the single four-poster beds with their drapes and canopies. Rachel flopped down on her bed and yawned, snuggling back against her feathery pillow.

  “It’s been a wonderful day,” she said. “Oh, what’s this? There’s something hard under my pillow …”

  She reached her hand under her pillow and drew out the sparkling book that the fairies had given them—The Fairies’ Book of Fairy Tales.

  Kirsty gasped in delight.

  “I’d forgotten about our present in all the excitement,” she said. “I wonder how it got there?”

  “Magic,” said Rachel with a grin.

  Kirsty joined Rachel on her bed, and with their fingers crossed they opened the book and turned to the first story. They were relieved to see the words Sleeping Beauty at the top of the page. The story was in the book again, and Sleeping Beauty and her prince were both back where they belonged.

  “Let’s read it before bed,” Rachel suggested.

  The girls loved the story and had read it together often. But this time, when they read about the party that the king and queen threw to celebrate Sleeping Beauty being born, they discovered something new. Kirsty leaned closer to the picture.

  “Look,” she said in an awed tone. “Look at Sleeping Beauty’s seven fairy godmothers.”

  Rachel leaned closer, too, and then shared a thrilled smile with her best friend. The fairy godmothers were the Fairy Tale Fairies!

  When they reached “happily ever after,” Rachel couldn’t resist turning the page to see if the next story had reappeared, too.

  “It’s blank,” she said with a sigh. “The other stories are still missing, and we have six more Fairy Tale Fairies to help.”

  Kirsty put her arm around Rachel’s shoulders and smiled at her.

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “As long as best friends like us stick together, I know that we can make a happy ending!”

  Rachel and Kirsty found Julia’s missing magic object. Now it’s time for them to help

  Join their next adventure in this special sneak peek …

  When Kirsty Tate opened her eyes, for a moment she couldn’t remember where she was. She gazed up at the canopy that hung over her four-poster bed. A spring breeze had pushed open the gauzy curtains, and the sun lit up the white dressing table with its gold and silver swirls. On the dressing table lay a book with a sparkling cover—The Fairies’ Book of Fairy Tales.

  “Rachel, wake up,” she said in a gentle voice. “It’s our second day at Tiptop Castle!”

  Rachel opened her eyes and gave Kirsty a sleepy smile. They were staying in a beautiful old castle on the outskirts of Tippington, where the Fairy Tale Festival was being held. Their bedroom was at the top of a tower of the castle, and the girls had agreed that it was fit for a princess—or two!

  “What are you going to wear today?” asked Kirsty, hopping out of bed and opening the big wardrobe where they had hung their clothes.

  “How about our fairy dresses?” suggested Rachel, swinging her legs out of bed. “It will be fun to join in with everyone else.”

  The day before, all the festival organizers had been wearing fairy tale costumes. Kirsty clapped her hands together.

  “That’s a great idea,” she said, “especially after our Fairyland visit yesterday!”

  “I’m so happy that we managed to help Julia the Sleeping Beauty Fairy get her magic jewelry box back,” said Rachel.

  “And Sleeping Beauty and her prince are back in their story,” Kirsty added. “But we have to do the same for the other fairies. They need their objects to look after their fairy tales.”

  She smiled as Rachel pulled on her mini backpack with its glittery fairy wings. It was funny to wear fake wings because they knew how it felt to have real ones!

  Text copyright © 2016 by Rainbow Magic Limited

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. Published by arrangement with Rainbow Magic Limited. Series created by Rainbow Magic Limited. RAINBOW MAGIC is a trademark of Rainbow Magic Limited. Reg. U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and other countries. HIT and the HIT logo are trademarks of HIT Entertainment Limited.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  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 any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First edition, January 2016

  Cover design by Angela Jun

  e-ISBN 978-0-545-86392-6

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.