Laura Ellen Anderson - Amelia Fang and the Lost Yeti Treasures

‘Best do it now,’ said Grimaldi, looking a little worried. ‘Just in case she starts making plans for us tomorrow.’

‘I’ll do it, don’t worry,’ said Amelia, swallowing a pickled eyeball. ‘I’m having such fun, I wish I didn’t have to leave early. But I really want to go to the pumpkin patch party too. I’m sure Florence will understand.’

CHAPTER 3

EMBRACE YOUR INNER YETI

‘UNDERSTAND WHAT?’ said Florence, making Amelia jump again.

‘Bothering batwings, Florence,’ gasped Amelia. ‘You keep making me jump with your soundless prancing!’

Florence puffed out her chest proudly. ‘TOP NOTCH PRANCER, ME! SO, WHAT’S UP?’

‘Well, you know that it’s the Pumpkineers’ pumpkin patch party tomorrow?’ said Amelia.

‘OH, IS IT?’ said Florence, before gulping down a mug full of super-belch and floating towards the ceiling bum-first.

‘Well, I’d really like to go along since it’s a special party to welcome all the new Pumpkineers,’ called Amelia. ‘So would it be okay if I asked your dad to call my mum so she can pick me up a bit –’

‘WHAT?!’ said Florence. ‘I CAN’T ’EAR YOU FROM UP ’ERE . . . SPEAK UP!’

Amelia raised her voice. ‘I need to leave a night –’

‘BUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRP,’ Florence bellowed, before slowly floating back down to ground level. ‘SORRY ’BOUT THAT . . . I FORGOT ’OW STRONG THAT SUPER-BELCH IS! OKAY, WHAT WERE YOU SAYING?’

Amelia tried again. ‘So, at moonrise tomorrow, I need to lea—’

But before she could finish, a horde of ancient yetis gathered around the food table and began singing loudly.

‘HAPPY BIRTHNIGHT TO YOUUUUU

FULL OF GLITTER AND GOOOOOO

WE HOPE IT’S A NIGHTMARE

WITH MANY LUMPS IN YOUR STEEEEW!’

Florence’s dad brought in a HUGE mud-worm cake, decorated with three hundred and fifty lit candles. It looked as though the whole thing was on fire.

‘Make a wish! Make a wish!’ said a small stout yeti, before marching right up to Grand-yeti Clemence and yelling, ‘MAKE IT!’ in her face.

Clemence sucked in a huge breath, then blew with all her might. A few yetis had to duck as the candle flames went soaring across the room. Everyone cheered, coughed and spluttered as Grand-yeti Clemence closed her eyes tight and made her wish.

The mud-worm cake was shared out amongst the yetis, then Florence drank another mouthful of super-belch, and floated above the crowd. She cleared her throat to get their attention, then said proudly.

‘I JUST WANNA SAY A BIG ’APPY BIRTHNIGHT TO MY GRAND-YETI CLEMENCE. ’ERE’S TO ANUVVA FREE ’UNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS!’

Everyone raised their arms, then bum-bumped each other and made a toast, ‘TOOOOOO CLEMENCE!’

Florence continued. ‘AND I’M SO ’APPY TO BE ABLE TO SPEND THIS ’OLE WEEKEND WIV MY MY BESTEST FRIENDS IN THE ENTIRE KINGDOMS.’ She smiled at Amelia, Grimaldi and Tangine. ‘FANKS FOR COMING ’ERE WIV ME. WE’RE GONNA ’AVE SO MUCH FUN!’ Florence burped loudly, the yetis cheered, and she floated back down to ground level.

Uh oh , thought Amelia. She really needed to tell Florence about having to leave the party early!

But that was going to have to wait. A yeti grabbed Amelia’s hand and before she knew it, she was being dragged on to the dance floor to perform a traditional yeti prance.

‘EMBRACE YOUR INNER YETI!’ Florence bellowed, joining the prancing chain of yetis. It was a graceful dance, and the yetis moved around the room with barely a sound.

The best part was watching Tangine try to get the hang of it. He gradually became a tangle of limbs and wings before falling flat on to his bottom. ‘All I want to embrace is an ice pack for my sore derrière,’ he groaned.

After an intense game of musical statues, the yetis decided to play hide and seek. There were certainly PLENTY of places to hide in the Yeti Mountain.

‘OKAY EVERYONE,’ bellowed Clemence. ‘I’M GONNA COME FIND YOU IN FIRTY SECONDS!’ She sat on a sofa chair and covered her eyes with her paws. ‘READY . . . STEADY . . . GO! FIRTY . . . TWENNY NINE . . . TWENNY EIGHT . . .’

The pits rumbled and shook as the ancient yetis thundered out of the Party Pit at some speed. Amelia, Florence, Grimaldi and Tangine ran into the tunnels, hearts pounding with adrenaline. Squashy excitedly bounced behind them with a pa-doing, pa-doing, pa-doing.

‘WE NEED TO SPLIT UP,’ said Florence. ‘THE YETIVATOR WILL TAKE YOU TO DIFFERENT LEVELS IF YOU WANNA GET FURVA AWAY! GO, GO, GO! ’ Then she ran off and disappeared around a corner.

‘I’m going to hide in the toilets!’ said Grimaldi, floating off towards the end of the tunnel. ‘Nobody will expect that!’

‘Eww,’ said Tangine. ‘So gross. I’m going to steal Clemence’s idea and pretend I’m a portrait! She’ll never suspect.’ And he ran off back towards the Party Pit.

Amelia picked Squashy up and looked from side to side. ‘Well, I guess we should hurry up and find a good hiding place,’ she said as she headed towards the yetivator.

Amelia pressed a big red button on the wall and the doors to the yetivator slid open with a loud DING.

‘MAIN LEVEL,’ said a flat sort of voice.

Amelia stepped into the lift. She stared at the buttons on the wall and felt her brain do a roly-poly. It certainly wasn’t as simple as just picking a floor. As well as numbered buttons, there were buttons with arrows pointing up, down, left, right and diagonally – not to mention buttons with all sorts of other symbols on them.

‘Well, I’m going to have to press something,’ Amelia said to Squashy. ‘Otherwise Grand-yeti Clemence will find us straight away!’

From the Party Pit further down the corridor, Amelia heard Clemence shout, ‘AND ONE! READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!’

Squashy squeaked in response.

‘Okay, okay . . . here goes, Squashy!’ said Amelia urgently. ‘I’ve NO idea where this will take us, but hopefully we’ll find a good hiding place!’

Amelia closed her eyes and poked at random buttons in no particular order. The doors to the yetivator closed.

‘GOING UP, ROUND, BACK, OVER, DIAGONAL LEFT, UNDER AND UP ONCE MORE,’ said the dull lift-voice.

‘Uh oh,’ said Amelia.

And the lift immediately began to move. Very, very quickly.

Amelia ended up pinned to the wall from the G-force of the lift shooting upwards. Squashy ricocheted off the walls as the yetivator swung around and did a loop-the-loop. It then began to move diagonally and around and around again, before whizzing upwards and eventually slowing to a stop.