Amelia Fang and the Memory Thief. Laura Ellen Anderson

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      But the little pumpkin leapt forward and landed on Amelia’s lap – slap-bang in the pile of goblin slime.

      ‘Uh-oh!’ cried Amelia. ‘You just sat in the glue . . .’

      Squashy tried to pa-doing out of her lap, but he was firmly stuck.

      Amelia looked around her bedroom in search of some glitter – the only thing that could dissolve goblin slime – but she couldn’t see any.

      ‘We have to hurry, Squashy,’ urged Amelia. ‘Wooo is waiting for me and you’re stuck to my lap . . . Argh!’

      She tried her best to pull her dress off, but it was rather difficult with a pumpkin stuck to the front of it. Amelia found herself caught half in and half out of the dress. Squashy had begun to squeak in a panic and was swinging from side to side, trying to free himself.

      ‘Whoa! Squashy, what are you doing?’ said Amelia, trying to wriggle out of the tangled garment. ‘Stop it, you’re making me lose balance!’

      But, determined to free himself, the little pumpkin carried on swinging – causing Amelia to stumble around the room like a frenzied zombie.

      ‘OUCH!’ she cried out as she stomped on a small box full of buttons and lost her footing.

      CRASH!

      Amelia and Squashy went tumbling into the pumpkin-themed creations, sending the whole lot flying across the room.

      A few seconds later, her mum burst through the door.

      ‘What the gravestones is going on?’ she exclaimed, surveying the carnage.

      ‘Um . . . I can explain . . .’ said Amelia sheepishly.

      ‘And what’s happened to your dress?’ her mother said sternly.

      Amelia looked down. Where Squashy had been swinging, there was a massive rip.

      ‘It was an accident, Mum, honest!’ said Amelia, scrambling to her feet. ‘I was just about to leave, and the glue spilt out and Squashy got stuck and . . .’

      ‘I have had enough, Amelia!’ said the countess, holding up a hand. She picked up a copy of Positively Pumpkin. ‘You’ve always got your head stuck in this silly magazine! You’ve been neglecting your vampiress etiquette studies and organ practice for too long now.’

      ‘It’s not a silly magazine!’ cried Amelia, snatching it away from her mum.

      ‘Do NOT take that tone with me,’ said the countess. ‘One more outburst like that and I’m cancelling your Positively Pumpkin subscription!’

      ‘But, Mum, that’s not fair! It was an accident, and you know how important pumpkins and Squashy are to me!’ said Amelia.

      Countess Frivoleeta’s left eyeball twitched. But she composed herself.

      ‘Wooo is waiting,’ the countess said through gritted fangs. ‘Change your dress and then you had better be downstairs in two minutes.’ She swiftly left the room.

      Amelia sighed and slumped on to the floor. ‘Oh, Squashy,’ she said sadly. ‘I don’t think Mum knows me at all.’

CHAPTER 2

       MY LIFE . . . IN SONG

      ‘So, are you excited about your birthnight party, Amelia?’ said Grimaldi Reaperton the next night before school. ‘I heard your mum and dad hired out the Pumpkin Patch for a whole night!’

      Amelia sat quietly, tickling Squashy’s tummy. ‘I guess so,’ she said without feeling.

      Amelia and her best friends Grimaldi, Florence Spudwick and Prince Tangine La Floofle the First sat under the Petrified-Tree-That-Looked-Like-a-Unicorn . Florence was a huge hairy yeti, an extremely loyal friend and a great pit-digger who did NOT like being called a beast by anybody. Tangine, on the other hand, was half-vampire, half-fairy and partial to a good face scrub.

      ‘A Pumpkin Patch birthnight party sounds super fun!’ said Tangine. ‘I know Pumpy will love it!’

      Pumpy, Tangine’s own genetically modified pet pumpkin, tried to roll over, but fell asleep halfway through the roll.

      ‘Although, I’ve recently discovered Pumpy suffers from Chronic-Upside-Down-Sleep-Syndrome . . .’ said Tangine, giving Pumpy a nudge so that he was upright once again.

      The huge pumpkin flexed his six-pack and PA-DOOFED once into Tangine’s arms, causing the prince to fall backwards.

      ‘PRINCE DOWN !’ yelled Florence as Tangine groaned.

      Amelia tried to smile but couldn’t quite manage it.

      ‘You seem sad, Amelia,’ said Grimaldi. ‘What’s up?’

      ‘Me and Mum had a bit of an argument,’ sighed Amelia. ‘I told her I didn’t want to play the organ this week so that I could finish Squashy’s costume – and read more Positively Pumpkin. And she got really cross. I just don’t think I can be the perfect vampiress she wants me to be.’

      ‘THAT’S TOO BAD,’ said СКАЧАТЬ