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
