Читать книгу Amelia Fang and the Memory Thief - Laura Ellen Anderson - Страница 7
ОглавлениеOn a misty Wednesday night after school, young vampire Amelia Fang sat in her bedroom with her pet pumpkin, Squashy, surrounded by complete and utter mess.
‘Darkling,’ called Amelia’s mother, Countess Frivoleeta, from downstairs. ‘It’s time for your organ practice with Wooo. Remember your exam is coming up soon.’
‘Do I have to practise tonight?’ Amelia replied, her heart sinking at the thought of more organ practice – despite how ghoulishly enthusiastic Wooo, their ghost butler, was. ‘I’m making Squashy a cute costume for my birthnight party!’
Squashy squeaked and span on the spot delightedly.
‘Isn’t it exciting, Squashy! Soon I’ll be eleven moon-years old!’ beamed Amelia, flicking through her Positively Pumpkin magazine. ‘And we get to celebrate in style at the Pumpkin Patch! Golly Ghouls, I do love pumpkins.’
Amelia wanted to be a Pumpkinologist more than anything in the whole world when she grew up – she could imagine studying and caring for pumpkins like Squashy forever!
Amelia also loved making things, and she especially loved making things for Squashy. Tonight her bedroom floor was covered in black-and-orange material, goblin-slime superglue and various cobwebbing tools.
The bedroom door creaked open, revealing Countess Frivoleeta’s huge beehive hairdo before the rest of her body. When she saw the mess in Amelia’s room, she gasped.
‘Amelia, my dreadful little wart-picker, I can’t see your bedroom floor!’
‘It’s creative mess,’ Amelia grinned. ‘Look, I’m making some sunglasses 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 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.’
