Amelia Fang and the Unicorns of Glitteropolis Read online

“I see you haven’t changed,” said the king, raising an eyebrow.

  “And I see your son is growing up to look just like his mother,” the well said. “Got your nose, though…. Shame.”

  “How do you know so much about us?” Tangine asked. “You’re just a wishing well.”

  “I am the Wishing Well of Well-Wishes! I know everything there is to know and everything that will be known.”

  “I KNOW YOU’RE PRETTY RUDE,” Florence said.

  “Don’t take it personally,” the king whispered. “Wells are known for being a little blunt at times.”

  “If you know everything, then can you tell us where Glitteropolis is?” Amelia said.

  “Maybe,” the well said.

  “You just told us you know everything,” Amelia said.

  “I do,” said the well.

  “Then surely you know where the city of Glitteropolis is?” said Amelia, becoming impatient.

  “Yes,” the well said.

  “Then can’t you tell us?”

  “I can’t,” the well said.

  “Why not?” Grimaldi cried.

  “I don’t just give out information. I’m not allowed to. So the secret of who you are is safe with me. Unless someone wishes to know your secret, that is…” The well coughed. “But anyway, if you want information, you must wish for it,” said the well.

  “I WISH YOU’D JUST STOP TALKING!” Florence blurted out, clenching her fists.

  “No, Flo—” the king began.

  But the well bubbled and a small envelope came hurtling through the air, landing at Florence’s feet. She picked it up and opened it.

  PFFFFFFFFFFFTTT!

  “AAAARGH!” Florence bellowed as the envelope exploded into a cloud of glitter. The glitter cloud then rearranged itself to spell out:

  THANK YOU FOR YOUR FIRST WISH. WE HOPE IT WAS FULFILLED TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS.

  Then the glitter words disappeared.

  “WHAT? I DIDN’T MAKE A WISH!” Florence yelled.

  But the well was silent. It made no sound, not even a bubble.

  Amelia put her head in her hands. “I think you did make a wish, Florence. You wished the well would stop talking.”

  “THAT WASN’T A REAL WISH!” Florence said.

  “You have to be extra careful what you say,” explained the king.

  The well was still silent.

  “I guess we need to wish for the well to speak again?” said Tangine, looking to his dad.

  “Hmmm, it does seem like the only way,” the king said.

  “ALL RIGHT. FINE,” Florence said. “I WISH THE WELL WOULD SPEAK AGAIN….”

  Another small envelope came hurtling from the well, landing at Florence’s feet and then exploding into a cloud of glitter spelling out the words:

  THANK YOU FOR YOUR SECOND WISH. WE HOPE IT WAS FULFILLED TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS.

  “Well done,” the well said. “You just wasted two of your three wishes. It’s the standard three-wish rule and you speak for everyone here, yeti.”

  “I AM NOT—” Florence began. “OH, WAIT. I AM A YETI….” She trailed off.

  “Guuuys, we only have one wish left!” said Grimaldi, twizzling his angel-kitten tail nervously. “We should ask about Glitteropolis!”

  “WELL, HIS MAJESTY NEEDS TO FIND HIS WIFE, RIGHT?” Florence said. “SO…”

  “Perhaps someone else should make this wish, Florence,” Amelia said warily.

  “I agree. I can make this w—” the king began.

  “I GOT THIS,” Florence interrupted, and stomped up to the edge of the well. “I WISH KING VLADIMIR WOULD—” Suddenly, Florence began coughing and spluttering. “BEEEE! A BEE!” she choked. “AAARGH! IT FLEW INTO MY MOUTH!”

  “Oh—oh no, Florence,” the king stammered. “What have you done?”

  Florence spat and coughed. “SORRY ’BOUT THAT. LEMME START AGAIN.”

  But before Florence could continue, an envelope came flying out of the well, landing at her feet with the usual glitter explosion.

  THANK YOU FOR YOUR THIRD WISH. WE HOPE IT WAS FULFILLED TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS.

  Then…

  The king disappeared in a puff of glittery smoke.

  “Peculiar pumpkins!” Amelia cried.

  “WHERE’D THE KING GO?” Florence said.

  “What did you do with my dad?” Tangine yelled into the well.

  “We’ve wasted all the wishes!” Grimaldi had entered full-blown panic mode.

  Where the king had been, a small bumblebee perched on a flower.

  “Florence! You turned the king into a BEE!” Amelia cried.

  “BUT I DIDN’T! IT WAS THE WELL! I HAD A BEE IN MY MOUTH! MY WISH GOT INTERRUPTED, SO IT SHOUDN’T HAVE BEEN GRANTED!” said Florence.

  Tangine ran over to the bee. “Dad?” he cried.

  Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz buzz buzzzzzz, the bee buzzed.

  “Daaaaaad!” Tangine said. He tried to pick his dad up.

  Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

  “Oh, Dad,” Tangine said. “What do we do?”

  The bee buzzed and then his little wings began vibrating and he flew away.

  “HE BUZZED OFF!” said Florence.

  “Oh no! We’re going to lose him!” said Amelia.

  “What if he gets eaten or trampled on?” squealed Grimaldi, his eyes wide with panic.

  Tangine started twiddling his thumbs. “I’ve lost my mom and my dad now!” Then he stamped his foot angrily, creating a puff of glitter. “How has this HAPPENED?”

  “Please leave,” the well said calmly. “Your wishes are complete. You must wait for one year before you can make another three wishes.”

  “A YEAR?” the friends said in unison.

  “That’s the rule,” the well said.

  “My dad can’t be a bumblebee for that long!” whined Tangine, slumping to the grass.

  Amelia sat down next to Tangine and put an arm around his shoulder. “We’ll work this out. I promise.”

  “But how?” Tangine said sadly.

  In the long grass, Amelia caught sight of the piece of glittery parchment the king had been keeping since Fairyweather’s disappearance. She picked it up and tucked it safely behind one of her wings.

  “I don’t know right now, but when we find your mom, I’m sure she’ll know what to do.” Amelia smiled.

  Tangine nodded and took a deep breath.

  “We can’t continue with this quest without the king!” Grimaldi said.

  “We can, and we will,” Amelia said. “We have each other, and we have to work together.”

  “NO THANKS TO THIS BIG PILE OF STONES.” Florence kicked the side of the well.

  Suddenly, a huge SPLASH of water drenched her from head to toe, knocking off her unicorn horn. Amelia gasped as the horn went tumbling down, down, down into the depths of the well.

  “Noooooooooooo!” she squealed. “The map is in the horn!”

  But it was gone.

  “I AM GOING TO BREAK YOU STONE BY STONE,” said Florence, trying to climb into the well.

  “No king and no map!” Grimaldi wailed. “We’re lost and helpless and oooooooh this is the ennnnnnd—”

  Suddenly, a spurt of water came flying out of the well, followed by Florence’s unicorn horn.

  “I am not a garbage bin,” the well said. And then it sprinkled Grimaldi with water. “And you are way too dramatic.”

  “THE MAP!” Florence and Amelia cried. Amelia scooped up the dripping-wet horn and pulled out the soaking map. It was now a big smudged mess.

  “OH DEAR…,” said Florence, taking the map from Amelia. “I’M SURE WE CAN FIX IT.” She wiped her paw across the sheet of parchment, making the smudge worse. It was no good. The map was ruined.

  Grimaldi was breathing fast.
“We really should go back….”

  Amelia stared at the ruined map, then screwed up her face. “No!” she said firmly. “We got this far. And we’re here to find Tangine’s mom. And figure out how to turn his dad back into a vampire. We must keep going, map or no map!”

  “Please…leave…,” the well said.

  “BEFORE WE GO, I JUST NEED TO DO ONE THING,” Florence said.

  The friends watched as Florence picked up Squashy and held him above the opening of the well. Amelia’s heart leapt.

  “Florence, what are you—”

  Florence tickled Squashy’s stomach and then—PLOP.

  He released a smelly little pumpkin poo, which fell into the depths of the well like a murky snowflake.

  “MY WORK HERE IS DONE.” Florence grinned.

  Amelia and her friends kept walking until they approached a forest. Squashy had gotten tired and pa-doinged up on top of Amelia’s head. It was very different from the Petrified Forest back in Nocturnia, filled with a shimmering mist and beams of extra-bright sunlight. It took Amelia’s vampire eyes a little while to adjust.

  “I remember my dad saying something about a Fairy Forest,” said Tangine, studying his surroundings. “This must be it.”

  “Which way do we go from here?” Grimaldi said.

  “I…” Amelia paused. “I don’t know. Florence, what do you think?”

  “WAIT A MINUTE. LET MY EYES ADJUST AND I’LL THINK.” Florence rubbed her eyes, then peered around a tree down another possible path. “AAAARRRGH!” she cried suddenly. “TANGINE, YOUR FACE! WHAT THE GOBLIN IS WRONG WITH YOUR FACE?”

  But it wasn’t Tangine whom Florence had seen. Instead, a rosy-cheeked leprechaun wearing a bright green hat walked past her and into the group.

  “What is wrong with me face?” he said, looking offended.

  Florence reached out to swat the leprechaun with her paw.

  “STOP!” Amelia yelled. “Florence…let’s be nice to this kind fellow Creature of the Light!” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Hello there!” said the leprechaun, skipping over to Amelia.

  “Oh, hello!” She smiled. “My friends and I are, er, on holiday here! I’m Amelia, by the way.”

  “Well, isn’t that grand?” said the leprechaun, tipping his hat. “My name’s McDonald Moonshine Misty Mountain Dew on a Summer’s Morning Sparkle. But you can call me McSparkle.”

  “Florence,” said a muffled voice.

  “THAT’S AMAZING,” Florence said. “MCSPARKLE JUST SPOKE WITHOUT MOVING HIS MOUTH! ARE YOU MAGIC?”

  “No, Florence. That voice came from…underneath you,” Amelia said.

  “Florence!” said the strained voice again.

  “HOW AM I DOING THAT?” said Florence, peering downward.

  “Florence, you’re sitting on Tangine!” Grimaldi said.

  Florence lifted a butt cheek. “OH, THERE YOU ARE.”

  Tangine gasped for air.

  McSparkle skipped over to Tangine and tipped his hat. “So, what’s your name, lad?”

  While McSparkle and Tangine introduced themselves, Amelia whispered to Florence and Grimaldi, “Guys! McSparkle could be our answer to getting to Glitteropolis!”

  “Did I hear the word Glitteropolis?” said McSparkle, popping up between Amelia and Florence.

  “Do you know it? Our map is ruined, and we don’t know how to get there,” Amelia said hopefully.

  “I was just on me way to Glitteropolis!” McSparkle said.

  “REALLY?” said Amelia, Florence, Grimaldi and Tangine together. Squashy squeaked with excitement. McSparkle looked at the top of Amelia’s head in confusion.

  “Could we come with you?” said Amelia, diverting his attention.

  “Of course! It’ll be nice to have some company!” McSparkle trilled. “Been a tough few years, y’see. Me brother McShine went to the Delightful Docks to buy a new lute three summers ago and never returned.”

  “That’s awful,” Amelia said.

  “Those evil Creatures of the Dark kidnapped him.” He frowned.

  Florence grumbled. Grimaldi twirled his tail nervously.

  “He’s not the first Creature of the Light to go missing either,” said McSparkle, shaking his head.

  “Fairyweather…,” Amelia said without thinking.

  “You knew her?” McSparkle asked.

  “Quite well,” said Tangine, looking sad.

  McSparkle looked around cautiously and then lowered his voice. “We’re not safe here anymore,” he said. “It’s no wonder everyone’s moving to Glitteropolis!”

  Amelia nodded, pretending to agree.

  “The Rainbow Rail is the best thing that’s ever happened to this kingdom,” McSparkle continued, nodding wisely.

  “Oh yes, I love the Rainbow Rail,” Amelia said. (She had NO idea what the Rainbow Rail was. She’d never even seen a rainbow before—though she had read in a book about how they could blind you with their colors.) “It’s so…rainbow-y.” She smiled nervously.

  “There’s no way Creatures of the Dark would ever guess the way into Glitteropolis is via a rainbow, eh?” McSparkle nudged Amelia’s arm and chuckled.

  That must be why King Vladimir could never find the city! thought Amelia.

  “Right, folks.” McSparkle did a little heel click. “We can catch the Rainbow Rail to Glitteropolis first thing tomorrow. It’s a bit of a trek to the nearest rainbow stop from here, so we’ll walk as far as we can before the sun sets, then make camp for the night. Let’s go!”

  When McSparkle was out of earshot, Amelia threw her arms around Tangine. “We did it!” she whispered happily. “We’re going to Glitteropolis! We’re going to find your mom!” Then she paused. “AND your dad…”

  Tangine looked hesitant, then smiled. “You promise?” he whispered.

  “I promise,” Amelia said. “And friends don’t break promises.”

  The beams of sunlight began to fade as evening approached in the Kingdom of the Light.

  “Let’s stop here for the night,” McSparkle said. “We should collect some wood to make a fire before the light disappears.”

  “Aww, look at the cute little fluffy mushroom,” Tangine cooed. He bent down to pet what looked like a fluffy pink ball on the forest floor.

  “Don’t touch that!” McSparkle shouted. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to touch a fuzzmite?”

  “She…” Tangine faltered. “No. No she didn’t,” he said sadly.

  “Well, don’t touch ’em!” McSparkle frowned. “Unless you want an eternal hug.”

  “YEESH,” said Florence, surprised that a Creature of the Light would think an eternal hug sounded like a bad thing too. “THIS PLACE IS KIND OF SCARY!”

  The friends headed off in different directions in search of firewood. Amelia felt a little uneasy venturing through the Fairy Forest, but at least she had Squashy on her head for company. As she picked up a couple of sticks, her hand brushed something soft and fluffy. Amelia froze when she spotted a small pink ball of fluff. A fuzzmite.

  “Uh-oh…,” she whispered. She kept as still as possible. The fuzzmite stirred but didn’t appear to do anything.

  Until…

  Within seconds the fuzzmite had grown ten times in size and developed an enormous face. Two giant fluffy arms protruded from its fluffy face, engulfing Amelia and nuzzling her into its soft cheek.

  Eternal hug…, Amelia thought. This can’t be good!

  “HEEEEEELP!” she yelled. But that made the fuzzmite squeeze her tighter.

  Squashy bounced off Amelia’s head and began to bounce on the creature’s face. The fuzzmite wailed and the hug tightened even more.

  “Squashy, stop!” Amelia wheezed. “That’s not helping!”

  Just then she caught a whiff of something sweet, and a glittery pin
k mist began to blanket the forest floor.

  And were those footsteps she heard?

  “Florence, Grimaldi? Is that you?” Amelia squeaked.

  The creature squeezed tighter still.

  Amelia couldn’t find the breath to shout out anymore. Just when she thought every ounce of air was about to be hugged out of her lungs, the fuzzmite yawned and its grip loosened, until Amelia could wriggle free.

  Squashy pa-doinged into her arms, and the two looked on as the fuzzmite fell into a deep slumber.

  Odd, Amelia thought. That wasn’t so eternal after all.

  The strange pink mist was getting thicker and began to surround her completely. Amelia heard footsteps again, followed by an unfamiliar sound. She darted behind the nearest tree with Squashy tightly in her grip.

  “Let goooo of meeeee. You do not have the riiight to do thiiiis! You monsters!” a deep muffled voice sang.

  The mist was so thick and the air smelled so sweet, Amelia had to cover her nose. But then all of a sudden the noise stopped and the mist began to clear.

  Amelia stepped cautiously from behind the tree. There was no sign of anyone. But out of the corner of her eye, lying among some fallen leaves, something glinted in the light.

  Squashy bounced over to the object and sniffed it.

  “What is it?” Amelia asked, reaching down to pick it up.

  The object was a smooth stick covered with sparkly jewels. At one end were some colorful feathers bunched together. Amelia picked it up and studied it carefully. She had no idea what it was or what had just happened.

  Then the fuzzmite began to wake again. Quickly, Amelia placed the feathery stick safely up her sleeve and made her way back to her friends.

  * * *

  “YOU LOOK WORRIED,” Florence said as Amelia returned with kindling for the fire.