Laura Ellen Anderson - Amelia Fang and the Half-Moon Holiday

‘My very first camping trip!

This is going to be the best half-

moon holiday ever!’

And with a wide-eyed Squashy tucked under

one arm, she stepped into the gloomy haze.

CHAPTER 2

PRINCE CAPTAIN

Amelia felt the spongy ground of the graveyard beneath her feet and breathed in the crisp night air. Squashy pa-doinged around her ankles and bounced across to where a whole mishmash of excitable creatures were gathered; from zombies and yetis to ghosts, werewolves and serpents. At the front of the crowd were two large unicorns, each wearing a rainbow-coloured scarf tied around their necks and a peaked cap with a rainbow logo sewn on to the front.

‘Galloping gaffer tape!’ said one of the unicorns. ‘You see that tree there, Ricky?’

The unicorn called Ricky looked towards

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a blackened spiky tree. ‘Yeah, I see it, Graham . . .’

‘Well, don’t you think it looks a bit like me?’ said Graham.

‘Nah. I was thinking it looked much more like me actually. Bit broader in the shoulders, good set of elbows . . .’ Ricky paused, then added, ‘and bigger hooves.’

‘Well, it probably reminds both of you of, well, both of you,’ said Amelia as she approached. ‘It’s the famous Petrified-Tree-That-Looks-Like-a-Unicorn.’

Ricky and Graham looked at each other then said at the same time, ‘definitely looks more like me.’

Amelia giggled at the two unicorns. She had already met Ricky and Graham, back when they were unicorn guards in Glitteropolis. Since then, Ricky and Graham had quit their guard duties, moved to Nocturnia and started

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the Rainbow Rangers club.

‘Good to see you this fine half-moon holiday,

Amelia Fang.’ Graham gave a dramatic bow as Amelia skipped backwards out of the way of his very sharp unicorn horn.

‘The half-moon holiday is my favourite time of year. Although it is the first time I’ve spent it away from home,’ said Amelia with a slightly nervous fang-filled smile.

‘Be brave, little Creature of the Dark,’ said Ricky, wagging a reassuring hoof in Amelia’s direction. ‘Rainbow Rangers look after each

other so you will be fine. And besides, me and Graham have got big plans for this trip, you won’t have hardly any time at all to feel homesick!’

‘Oh, I sure hope so . . .’ whispered a high-pitched voice from behind Amelia.

‘Hi, Grimaldi!’ Amelia hugged the little grim reaper, who had floated up beside her.

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‘I’m nervous too but I am so excited to go camping together. No school for a whole week!’

‘And no scraping small dead creatures off the streets!’ Grimaldi added, waving his scythe around. ‘My grimpapa will have to take care of that while I’m away.’ Grimaldi Reaperton was a tiny reaper who dealt with the deaths of small creatures around Nocturnia. And even though Death was his middle name, he was actually scared of almost everything.

Suddenly, a CRASH was heard as the ground burst open a few feet away from Amelia and Grimaldi. The little reaper shot a mile into the air and Squashy squeaked and bounced into Amelia’s arms for comfort. A gravestone went hurtling through the air, followed by a very confused zombie’s head.

‘My heeeeeeeeeeeeead!’ the head screeched, as it rolled away into the woods.

Where the grave once stood, a huge yeti, NOT to be confused with a beast, emerged.

‘IT’S THE ’ARF MOON ’OLIDAY!’ bellowed Florence Spudwick. ‘NO SCHOOOOOOL!’

‘Hi, Florence!’ replied Grimaldi and Amelia in unison.

Florence had been practising her pit digging every night. A super-special yeti skill, Florence had now mastered the art of digging her way around the city, creating her very own nifty network of underground tunnels – the latest of which ended right where the gravestone had once stood.

Prince Tangine La Floofle the First was the last of the Rainbow Rangers to arrive, accompanied by the loud PA-DOOFS of his genetically modified pet pumpkin, Pumpy.

‘Sorry I’m late,’ Tangine said with a sigh. ‘I HAD to apply my eyelid cream and let it dry before I could leave.’

Graham tapped his unicorn hooves impatiently and raised a sceptical eyebrow.

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Prince Tangine was half-fairy, half-vampire and rather fond of his nightly skin care routine. He was also one of Amelia’s best

friends, along with Florence and Grimaldi.

‘WHAT THE BATS ARE YOU PUTTING

EYELID CREAM ON FOR?’ said Florence.

‘To prevent them from drooping,’said

Tangine with an

air of superiority.

‘You’ll be sorry when

your eyelids get all

droopy and I still

look RAVISHING.’

Florence was just

about to tell Tangine

exactly what she

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thought of his eyelids when Ricky the unicorn interrupted the excited chitter chatter of the group with an announcement.

‘Good morning Rainbow Rangers! Now you’re all here, I can finally tell you where we’ll be camping for the half-moon holiday. We will be staying in a remote and quiet little place called Sugarplum Island. It’s surrounded

by the sea and is just a few miles east of the Kingdom of the Light.’

There was a buzz of anticipation amongst the young Rainbow Rangers.

‘Prepare yourselves for some awesome activities and the chance to earn yourselves a BUNCH of Rainbow Ranger BADGES,’ Ricky continued.

‘Oooh! I LOVE badges!’ squealed Amelia. She was determined to fill up her Rainbow Ranger sash with as many badges as she could by the end of the half-moon holiday.

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Who didn’t love a badge?!

‘Whoever gets the most badges by the end of the week will be awarded the position of Rainbow Ranger Captain!’ Graham added.

The Rainbow Rangers cheered and

high-fived each other excitedly.

‘That will be ME, of course,’ said a loud

voice. Amelia, Florence and Grimaldi sighed.

Frankie Steinburg was a ghoul in the same

class as Amelia at school and it was just

typical that she would join the Rainbow

Rangers too. She was very competitive and

constantly trying to outdo everyone.

‘Okay, Rangers!’ Graham called over the

commotion. ‘Before we leave, you know what

to do . . . ’

Amelia and the rest of the Rainbow Rangers

lined up. They straightened their sashes and

saluted before earnestly reciting the Rainbow

Ranger Promise:

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‘In the brightest day and the gloomiest night, Whether I’m a creature of Dark or of Light.

I will be patient and grateful and kind,

And never leave a fellow Ranger behind.

I’ll strive to keep learning. I’ll trek and explore. And promise to keep the Rainbow Ranger Law.’

‘I think I’m gonna cry,’ said Ricky, dabbing at his eyes with his rainbow scarf.

Graham was already sobbing. ‘Okay, Rainbow Rangers,’ he said through his sniffles. ‘Let’s get this half-moon holiday adventure started!’

CHAPTER 3

THE OTHER

LEFT

Amelia gazed through the Rainbow Wagon window as they trundled through the Kingdom of the Light, into the Meadow of Loveliness and past the Wishing Well of Well Wishes. Graham was driving and Ricky was giving directions.

‘LEFT!’ shouted Ricky suddenly, making everyone jump. ‘No, wait . . . THE OTHER LEFT. LIGHT. I mean, RIGHT. REFT?’

‘Oh my days, Ricky!’ said Graham as he narrowly missed a bewildered looking pixie-hen in an apron. ‘You’re RUBBISH at this. Next time, YOU drive, and I’ll read the map.’

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‘Oh, we have a map?’ said Ricky.

‘Yes Ricky, you BIG ONION!’ said

Graham. ‘Oh, NOW I’ve missed the next

turning! This is all your fault.’

As the Rainbow Wagon swerved

and screeched through the Vivid