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

while Grimaldi found a swirly patterned one.

      Tangine chose the most extravagantly decorated boat in the docks; adorned with four wrought iron posts and lavish frilly red curtains. It rather resembled a floating fourposter bed.

      In the water next to Amelia was Frankie. Her narrow boat was covered in green spikes – it looked a bit like a floating cactus. ‘Don’t expect to beat me,’ Frankie said with a glare, poising herself for the race.

      Amelia rolled her eyes and braced her oars.

      ‘Good luck Amelia,’ whispered Grimaldi from the boat next to her. ‘And make sure you don’t let Frankie win!’

      ‘Don’t worry, I’ll try my best!’ Amelia said, smiling. She looked out towards Sugarplum Island as it glimmered on the horizon.

      ‘Okay, Rangers!’ Graham shouted across the docks to the eagerly waiting racing creatures. ‘Before you set off, there is one thing to be aware of – there have been rumours of shadows beneath the waves of the Sea of Sparkles; wiggles in the tides and secrets in the sea spray . . .’

      ‘Graham, you’re doing your annoying explaining-things-in-weird-ways-nobody-understands thing,’ said Ricky.

      Graham sighed. ‘Fine. There’s weird stuff in the sea but no one knows what it is. Okay ?’

      The Rainbow Rangers muttered nervously amongst themselves and Grimaldi peered warily over the side of his swirly boat. Amelia leaned across and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. ‘Whatever it is, it can’t be as bad as what lives in the Putrid Pond or beneath the Nocturnian graveyard, right?’ Grimaldi giggled and nodded.

      ‘You’ll be fine!’ Ricky reassured everyone with a big grin. ‘Just stay in your boat and everything will be grand.’ The Rainbow Rangers were silent.

      Ricky cleared his throat. ‘Alrighty then! Let’s get this show started. Ready, steady . . . ROW!’

      Nobody moved.

      Apart from Florence.

      ‘OH, COME ON WIMPITS! IT’S JUST A SILLY SEA STORY!’ called their yeti classmate who was already ploughing through the waves using her own great paws instead of oars. ‘THAT BADGE IS MINE!’

      At the word ‘badge’ Frankie suddenly begun to row. ‘I’m totally getting the I GOT THERE FIRST badge!’

      One by one, the Rainbow Rangers began to move away from the dock and then, when nothing odd seemed to happen in the water below, they each sped up until a fully-fledged race was on. Splashes and sploshes and shrieks of delight were heard as the Rainbow Rangers pulled themselves across the water.

      ‘Come on Grimaldi, let’s go!’ Amelia called, setting off through the water as fast as she could row. But the little reaper was tucked away inside his boat, frozen to the spot.

      ‘I . . . I’m worried about what’s under there . . .’ he peeped over the side of his boat.

      Amelia saw her fellow Rainbow Rangers rowing away across the water and felt that extra badge slipping away, too. ‘It’s fine, Grimaldi!’ she urged. ‘Look, nothing is happening! Row next to me the whole way.’ She smiled encouragingly. ‘You can do it!’

      Grimaldi hesitated, then pulled himself up into a seated position. He began to slowly move away from the dock.

      ‘That’s it, you’ve got this!’ said Amelia. ‘Now, just move a biiiiit faster and then we can beat Frankie!’

      Grimaldi began to pick up speed and soon the two friends were flying across the water to catch up with the rest of the Rangers.

      Amelia rowed as fast as her little arms would go, with Grimaldi close behind. ‘I knew all those years of rowing along the River Styx with Grimpapa would pay off !’ he called out.

      They giggled as they passed Tangine. Pumpy’s end of the bed-boat was, rather tellingly, much further down in the water. They gradually overtook Rainbow Ranger after Rainbow Ranger. As Florence was whizzing through the water just ahead, Amelia had a brilliant idea.

      ‘Hey Florence!’ she yelled, slowing down a little, with Grimaldi following suit. ‘If me, you and Grimaldi tie, then maybe we’ll all get the bonus badge!’

      ‘OOOH, GOOD FINKING AMELIA!’ said Florence. The three friends rowed side by side and made for Sugarplum Island. They were SO close now! Then . . .

      BOMP !

      Something knocked the side of Amelia’s boat sending her wobbling off course. She shrieked as the little stripy boat span out of control.

      ‘Oops! Sorry! Didn’t see you there,’ Frankie said, smirking, and raced off in her spiky boat, overtaking Grimaldi and Florence who had slowed down to check their friend was okay.

      ‘WANT ME TO GO SIT ON FRANKIE?’ shouted Florence.

      ‘You guys just keep going, and I’ll meet you at the island!’ Amelia replied, waving them forward. ‘You still have a chance to beat Frankie! Go, go, go !’

      She didn’t mind being left behind just as long as Frankie didn’t win.

      Florence saluted, then she and Grimaldi raced on ahead to try and catch Frankie, as more and more Rainbow Rangers began to overtake Amelia’s boat.

      Suddenly, Amelia felt something damp on her bottom. When she looked down, water was oozing into her boat.

      ‘Oh, no,’ Amelia gasped. One of the spikes on Frankie’s boat had made a big hole in the side of Amelia’s little stripy one. Squashy bounced into the growing puddle of water and tried to lick it up.

      ‘It’s okay, Squashy,’ said Amelia, picking the pumpkin up and hugging him to her chest. ‘I’m going to shout for help, then Ricky and Graham can come and rescue us.’

      But just as Amelia was about to flag down the two unicorns, she felt a strong wind blowing back the hair from her face.

      Her boat was moving.