Amelia Fang and the Memory Thief. Laura Ellen Anderson

for Squashy and

      some tiny bow ties.’

      The countess made a strange noise. ‘Amelia

      Fang! It’s like you’re living in a goblin cave.

      Wooo is waiting for you in the organ room, so

      tidy this mess up and then go downstairs for

      your practice. Quick-smart my dismal one!’

      Amelia felt her cheeks flush. ‘But Mum, it’s

      nearly my birthnight, and I’ve so much to

      catch up on in Positively Pumpkin! Can’t I

      skip organ practice just this week?’

      ‘Certainly not, darkling – you already

      missed last week because you were at

      3

      pumpkin-patch digging. Organ practice is

      important – pumpkin magazines are not.’

      Amelia sighed. ‘Okay, Mum, I’ll be down in

      a minute,’ she said, as the countess left the

      room. Sometimes it felt like her mum just

      didn’t understand.

      ‘Don’t worry Squashy, we’ll have your

      costume ready, even if I have to stay up all

      day to finish it.’

      Squashy pa-doinged in excitement, but

      landed on the tube of goblin-slime superglue

      and a giant purple glob spurted all over

      Amelia’s dress.

      ‘Oh 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