‘Oooh, oooh!’ said Ricky eagerly, ‘Can me and Graham watch too?!’
‘Of course!’ said Amelia, ushering the unicorns into the unliving room. ‘Come through and make yourselves at home!’
Ricky and Graham sat on the sofa either side of a very confused-looking Aunt Lavitora. She looked from Ricky to Graham before picking up a piece of snotcorn and asking, ‘Who are you exactly?’
‘We . . .’ began Ricky, scooping a hoof-full of snotcorn into his mouth. He chewed and chewed some more. Aunt Lavitora waited. MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH . . .
Graham shook his head and sighed. ‘He’s Ricky and I’m Graham and we are anything you want us to be, really.’
Ricky finally gulped down his mouthful of snotcorn. ‘Yeah!’ he said. ‘We saved your caticorns from being eaten by a plant monster too. We are your ALL-ROUND-UNICORNS really. Useful unicorns.’
‘USEFULCORNS!’ Ricky and Graham blurted out at the same time, before high-hooving each other across Lavitora’s face.
Aunt Lavitora looked from one unicorn to the other, then shrieked, ‘My darkling caticorns were almost eaten by a WHAT monster?!’
Luckily, just at that moment, Wooo dimmed the lights and music started as the show began.
Squashy and Pumpy bounced on to each of the sofa arms still wearing their tiny aprons. They waved their feather dusters around with their stalks and squeaked gleefully as Amelia introduced the show.
‘THIS is a special performance of the well-loved Nocturnian tale, THE YETI WHO WANTED TO FLY !’ she said dramatically. ‘We hope you enjoy our show!’
Ricky and Graham cheered, Aunt Lavitora clapped and the pumpkins squeaked as the music came to a glorious end.
Aunt Lavitora flounced on to the stage and embraced the caticorns. ‘Oh, Gerrard, my precious little snot-globule, I never knew you could dance like that! And Butler, that music was divine. You are so talented, my darkling! As for this masterpiece,’ Aunt Lavitora continued, stroking a picture of a pretty flower on the cardboard stage set. ‘Well, Mo, I just don’t have the words . . .’
‘WELL, THAT’S A SHOCKER,’ Florence muttered under her breath. Grimaldi tried to hold in a giggle, but ended up spraying snot all over his cloak.
Amelia’s cold vampire heart swelled with pride at what the caticorns had achieved with a little bit of help from their friends. She was also relieved at how impressed Aunt Lavitora was with it all.
‘Actually, one moment! I DO have some words after all!’ Aunt Lavitora declared, beaming at Amelia and the others.
Florence raised an eyebrow. ‘KNEW IT WAS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.’
Amelia looked around at her friends in excited anticipation of the praise to come.
‘I do so hope that one delightfully dreadful night, you may ALL wake up and be as talented as my fluffy babies!’ Aunt Lavitora trilled. ‘You could learn a lot from them, you know. You really could!’
Amelia rolled her eyes but then laughed to herself. Unlike the tiny caticorns, it seemed Aunt Lavitora was never going to change.
Tangine, on the other hand, was having none of it. His face had turned as purple as his curly wig. ‘HANG ON one royal second,’ he said. ‘I think you’ll find that THE—’
CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAK!
The sound of a door slowly opening came from upstairs. Amelia looked up towards the ceiling, then looked at Wooo.
‘Amelia?’ came the voice of Countess Frivoleeta.
Amelia felt like all of her limbs had gone numb and her heart began to beat faster.
This was it. Her parents were home.
Amelia rushed to the spiral staircase.
Countess Frivoleeta and Count Drake emerged at the top. Their eyes were tired but bright, and they had big fang-filled smiles on their faces.
Amelia rushed forward, then paused. In her mother’s arms was a big bundle of shimmery black fabric.
‘Is that . . . ?’ Amelia whispered.
Her mother nodded and beckoned to Amelia.
Amelia walked over slowly. Her mother leaned forward gently.
And there he was.
‘Meet Vincent Fang,’ said the countess softly. ‘Your new baby brother.’
