Laura Ellen Anderson - Amelia Fang and the Memory Thief

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 stop her from missing Squashy every second they were apart, though. Luckily, Amelia had lots of new school subjects to focus on and keep

her mind occupied.

Since the Kingdom of the Dark and the Kingdom of the Light had become friends, Catacomb Academy had introduced a variety of new Kingdom of the Light themed lessons, to educate the Creatures of the Dark. Alongside Pumpkinology and Slime Skills, Amelia and her friends now also studied

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Angel-Kitten Singing, Cloud Crafts, Glitterology

and History of the Bug Blossoms.

‘Good evening, class,’ said the headmistress,

Miss Inspine, as the students settled on to their

plinths. ‘Firstly, I’d like to welcome the fairy

exchange students from the Kingdom of the

Light. I appreciate you may be a little sleepy

while you get used to the time difference,’ said

Miss Inspine, addressing the fairies.

Five fairies of varying sizes waved shyly

from the back of the classroom, not looking

remotely alarmed that their new headmistress

was a skeleton. One teeny weeny fairy with a

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puffy dress had fallen asleep

inside a test tube and was

snoring loudly.

‘Now class, you may remember I asked

you all to put together a presentation on a

subject of your choosing, to introduce

our visitors to the Kingdom of the

Dark,’ Miss Inspine continued.

‘Tangine, I believe you’re up

first – what is the title of your

presentation?’

Tangine stood up and

strutted to the front of the

classroom.

‘May I present to

you, MY LIFE . . . IN

SONG,’ said Tangine

straightening his bow tie.

Amelia, Florence and

Grimaldi looked at each

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other wide-eyed, trying not to laugh.

‘Um . . .’ began Miss Inspine. But before she could continue, Tangine bellowed:

‘FELLOW CLASSMATES AND FAIRIES FROM AFAR!’

‘Oh, he’s actually doing this . . .’ said

Amelia, a little surprised. She’d never heard

Tangine attempt to sing before.

‘Thiiiiiis story of sadness, this tale of delight . . .

Is one of the Creatures of Dark and of Liiiiiight.

For both lived in fear of the other for years ,

Led by stories of beasts—’

‘I AM NOT A BEAST!’ Florence blurted out, causing the snoring fairy in the test tube to

wake with a start.

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Tangine glared.

‘UH, SORRY . . . NEVER MIND,’ said

Florence sheepishly.

Clearing his throat, Tangine continued

theatrically.

‘. . . led by stories of beasts and unicorn tears!

Two Kingdoms divided by terror and lies, But soon they’d be in for a pleasant surpriiiiise! One twilight, the King of Nocturnia met, A fairy?! Oh dear! But she was not a threat . . . She was kind, a true beauty , the love of his life, And this fairy became King Vladimir’s wiiiiiife!’

‘Wow,’ Amelia whispered to her friends. ‘He’s

actually really good!’

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‘And soon baby Tangine was born . . .

Yes, that’s MEEEEE!

The most handsome baby you ever did see. With the fangs of a vampire, but fairy wings too?! Nobody could find out – who knows what they’d do?

Then suddenly, one dusk, my mother was gone , The king wondered if he’d done something wrong. He searched every night, every day, all year through, And the older I got, the more distant he grew . . .’

Tangine then got down on one knee and cast

his hand across his forehead dramatically.

‘I was spoilt, I was lonely, and then I started school,

But I acted a bit like a silly young fool!

I stole a pet pumpkin and took someone’s chair,

But a special friend showed me how that wasn’t fair.’

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Tangine looked over to Amelia and blushed.

Amelia beamed back, happy that she and

Tangine were now such good friends.

‘She found out my secret, but she wasn’t scared, And that’s how I knew that my friend really cared. We went on a journey to find my lost mum, To the Kingdom of the Light in the dazzling sun!

But little did we know that the unicorn lords;

Those mighty horned horses their citizens adored . . .

Had kidnapped my mother! Oh yes, you heard right!

So, we grabbed our baguettes and we put up a fight!’

‘HEH HEH.’ Florence chuckled at the memory

of brandishing bread baguettes and baked goods

as weapons against Alpha Unicorn and his

unicorn lords.

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‘The truth was revealed – and my mother

was freeeeeeed!

The Creatures of the Light and the Dark all agreed,

We’ve no need to fear one another anymore,

Together we’ve so much to learn and explore!

So, the King of Nocturnia is now full of glee!

(Even though he was briefly turned into a bee.

Yes really.)

And that’s the tale of how two

kingdoms made amends,

And how the Creatures of the Light and the Dark

became frieeeeeeeends!’

Tangine threw both arms in the air, and sent

glitter flying across the whole classroom. Once

upon a time this would have terrified his

Creature of the Dark classmates, but now

everyone cheered and clapped and twirled

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round in the glittery rainstorm.

Amelia stood up, chanting Tangine’s name, followed by Grimaldi, and then Florence.