Amelia Fang and the Memory Thief. Laura Ellen Anderson

no, be careful Squashy!’ shrieked Amelia, looking down at the slimy patch.

      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 Florence, putting a big hairy arm around Amelia’s shoulders. ‘YOU’LL BE ’APPY YOU STUCK WIV THE ORGAN THOUGH. I WISH I COULD PLAY.’ She yawned.

      Amelia and her friends were all feeling a little tired after the big Petrifying Palace Parade a few nights before, where everyone had celebrated the Kingdom of the Dark and the Kingdom of the Light becoming friends.

      After many years of being completely terrified of the other, Creatures of the Light and the Dark could now live alongside each other in peace, since the evil Alpha Unicorn had been defeated by Amelia and her friends. Along with a group of mighty unicorn lords, Alpha Unicorn had been spreading false and scary rumours about the creatures from each kingdom to keep them divided. But thanks to Amelia and the gang, everyone was now free to roam wherever they pleased. Things were better than ever, and the Creatures of the Dark now accepted the wonders of glitter; once the stuff of utter DAYMARES!

      The parade had been a LOT of fun, but after much dancing, singing and pumpkin juggling, Amelia and her friends could have done with a little bit more sleep.

      From across the graveyard came the rattling sound of the Catacomb Academy welcome bones.

      ‘C’MON, FANG,’ said Florence to Amelia affectionately. ‘I’M SURE A BIT OF BORING OL’ SCHOOL WILL ’ELP CHEER YOU UP!’

      Amelia couldn’t help but chuckle. ‘Squashy, you can stay out here in the graveyard and play with Pumpy while we’re at school.’ She gave the little pumpkin a pat on the stalk.

      Squashy pa-doinged once and blew a raspberry at Pumpy. Pumpy responded by puffing his six-pack chest out at Squashy.

      ‘You two need to learn to be friends,’ Amelia said kindly. ‘I hope you are by the time school finishes.’

      Amelia would usually sneak Squashy into class with her, but she felt having a pumpkin buddy would be good for him. It didn’t