Amelia and The Elf

By Si Wall

An Elf living in a tree in your garden could be something to worry about, but Amelia chose to go on adventure to a land she never imagined possible. Prompted by a sudden illness to her father, Amelia goes off in search of magical dust to make him better, undeterred by countless warnings of the dangers ahead. By entering the kingdom of Elfingdorn, Amelia becomes a target for rogue sprites at war with the golden fairies, Royal Dragons, Evil Queens and a host of would-be assassins, all determined to catch her.

With each daunting task, Amelia learns more about Elfingdorn and its many weird inhabitants but can she escape from a land and get back home to help her father in time?

What readers have said...

"It kept me hooked right up until the very last line, amazing read"

"When’s the next installment? I felt deflated when it ended, I want to read more about Amelia"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Si Wall
• Release date: Jul 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301211043

Si Wall

I'm a film director, script writer and now, a children's author. 'Amelia' is the first in a series of five, all detailing Amelia and her adventures with Erivon.

Book preview

Amelia and the Elf

Si Wall

Published by Si Wall at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Si Wall

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Acknowledgements

Like everything made from scratch, it simply couldn’t be possible without the encouragement and support of friends, colleagues and the odd piece of kindness from a random stranger. To this point, I have been extremely fortunate to have all of these and I’d like to take a minute to say a hearty Thank-You to them all.

Gina Lea, Samantha Smith, Vanessa Ricci-Thode, José Antonio Rivera and to my friend Caitlin McCarthy, the best scriptwriter I have ever had the pleasure to read.

A special thank you to two amazing people that have not only encouraged me and supported me, but have helped me to understand what being a good human being is all about and shown me the standards I should aim for. Drew & Linda Hancock, thank-you for being a part of my life and showing me that no matter what life throws at you, there’s still room for positive and caring people. I love you both.

This book would never have been possible without the love and support of Nicki, who continues to be the rock I need in my life.

Dedicated to my two wonderful girls, who have added light to the world and made me thankful that they make it a better place. Charly and Taylor, I love you so much!

An Elf living in a tree in your garden could be something to worry about, but Amelia chose to go on adventure to a land she never imagined possible. Prompted by a sudden illness to her father, Amelia goes off in search of magical dust to make him better, undeterred by countless warnings of the dangers ahead. By entering the kingdom of Elfingdorn, Amelia becomes a target for rogue sprites at war with the golden fairies, Royal Dragons, Evil Queens and a host of would-be assassins, all determined to catch her.

With each daunting task, Amelia learns more about Elfingdorn and it’s many weird inhabitants but can she escape from a land and get back home to help her father in time?

What readers have said…

It kept me hooked right up until the very last line, amazing read

When’s the next installment? I felt deflated when it ended, I want to read more about Amelia

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - The Big Farewell

Chapter 2 - The Ferry and Beyond

Chapter 3 - The Hunter of Rare and Exotic Animals

Chapter 4 - Beneath the Tree

Chapter 5 - Getting to know Erivon

Chapter 6 - Sickness and in ‘Elf

Chapter 7 - A Tough Decision

Chapter 8 - Greetings from Elvingdorn

Chapter 9 - The Bridge of Souls

Chapter 10 - The Temple of The Brotherhood

Chapter 11 - The Brotherhood of Outlaws

Chapter 12 - The Maze of Shadows

Chapter 13 - The Valley of the Fish

Chapter 14 - The Elfingdorn Quest

Chapter 15 - The Arpersdahl Fair

Chapter 16 - The Princess and the Ice Castle

Chapter 17 - The Last Leg

Si Wall, Film Maker, Screenwriter, Author

The Big Farewell

Number five Durham Road was a house just like any other British terraced home. It stood wedged in between the two neighbouring houses and looked as ordinary as the rest. With closer inspection, it seemed a little busier than the other houses and as they approached, Mr. and Mrs. Kitchener could hear the merriment from inside. Mrs. Kitchener, dressed in a warm winter coat leant forward to ring the doorbell and as she did so, quickly jumped back, as if having received a small electric shock and stood with her distinguished rosy-cheeked husband and stared at the bright red door expectantly. The door was soon flung open by the enthusiastic host, Margaret, letting the sound of excited chatter out into the street, who quickly welcomed her guests with a familiar kiss and dragged them in from the crisp night air, slamming the door shut to keep out the cold.

The Kitcheners were relieved of their coats and joined the crowd of people in the living room, most of whom they knew and as they greeted them in turn, soon had a glass of something thrust into their hand. While Mrs. Kitchener stood sipping her drink and surveying the partygoers, Margaret joined her under a large bed sheet hanging from the ceiling that had been made into a banner that read Bon Voyage and thanked her for coming. The general conversation was about how bad the country had become, high unemployment, high taxes, poor job prospects, rising crime and no prospects for the young. The overall feeling was how the various guests wished they could be as brave as their hosts’ and make a life in a new country, far away. Margaret and Jim, her devoted husband, accepted the compliments graciously and thanked their guests for coming to their ‘Farewell Bash’. As more guests arrived, the room became fuller and much louder, eventually spilling out into the hallway and the kitchen, where a cold buffet had been prepared.

Almost unnoticed through the melee of standing legs and certainly ignored by the happy partygoers, sat a very unhappy little girl. Dressed in a bright red party dress, with matching ribbons in her hair was Amelia, quite clearly the unhappiest attendee of the party. As she sat in the corner of the living room and could hear various comments from the guests. An older man with a walking stick commented, It’ll do her good, all that fresh air and open space to play in. Another round and jolly looking lady was heard to say, If only I was that age again, I’d love it. Which was quickly followed by the timid vicar’s wife who said in a quiet voice but what about her friends, she’ll miss them. Amelia looked up and strained her neck to see who had made this detective’s conclusion, almost eager to nod and say You’re not wrong but all she could see were legs, handbags and walking sticks. Amelia pulled the ribbon from her hair shoving it down behind the cushion of the chair by way of protest and folded her arms with a shrug and a very loud sigh.

Occasionally Amelia would look for company, tilting her head to find a friendly and sympathetic ear but there were no other children present and although a very bright girl, did not want to engage in a conversation with a relative about ‘How excited she must be’. She couldn’t see the exit, or dare to make it through the crowd without being spotted and spoken to by one of these adults who clearly, did not see how angry Amelia was. After more sighing and shoulder shrugging, which went wholly unnoticed, Amelia saw her chance to escape. The elderly gent with the walking stick had dropped his glass and with a swift change of attitude, Amelia sprung from her chair and had volunteered to clear it up for her Mother, who was busy trying to get the stick back for a flummoxed Uncle Edward. Amelia ran from the room full of well-wishers and instead of continuing towards the kitchen and the cleaning cloths, made a swift change of direction and ran upstairs to the safety of her bedroom, where she stood breathless behind the door, listening for her escape to be noticed, which it never was. A few moments after listening from the safety of her room and realizing that the party was back in full, ‘swing’ Amelia went to her bedroom window, where she stared out into the street. The echo from the Vicar’s wife played around the room, What about her friends, she’ll miss them. As Amelia stared out of the window and on to the empty street, she wiped a tear from her eye and began to accept her fate. Yes, she was being taken away from the bestest friend a girl could ever have, from a friend called Emily, who she had known all of her life and although ten years and two months was not long for a grown up, when you’re only ten years and two months old, it is indeed all of your life. Emily had been Amelia’s friend since the first day of nursery school together and lived at the opposite end of the street. They had been in the same school classes ever since and played together whenever they could, even joining the school rounders’ team at the same time and planning adventures together for when they were older.

Amelia stood looking out of the window for some time but after seeing no signs of life, slumped on to her bed, wiped her eyes for the last time and drifted off to sleep.

The party continued in to the next morning and the general opinion was that Jim and Margaret were making a great choice. Moving to Eastern Europe to be self-sufficient was the choice that they all would make, if they were brave enough and taking Amelia at such a young age would broaden her horizons and help her to grow up. Jim was soon basking in the compliments of bravery from his male guests, while Margaret enjoyed the girly excitement from her friends, who all admitted to secretly wanting a big house in the country and the chance to bake more, despite it being so far away. As the guests began to leave, there were a few tears, some jokes and smiles but the overall feeling was of a well-earned ‘Bon Voyage’ party to two great people. As Uncle Edward with his well-worn stick made his way to the door, he shook Jim by the hand with a vice like grip and pulled Jim in closer to speak. Now you listen, an Englishman’s home is his castle, so you build a huge great wall around the place and you’ll be alright, remember now, you’ve a place to stay if this goes a bit wonky. Uncle Edward kissed Margaret on the cheek and hugged her more than usual and as he left the house wiped a couple of tears from his eyes with his white handkerchief and trundled off into the night.

The door closed on Uncle Edward, who was the last to leave, as Margaret grabbed Jim’s arm and squeezed him. He kissed the top of her head and led her into the carnage of their living room and as they sat down together, for the first time in hours, Jim pulled Margaret close and they stared out at the half-full glasses and broken peanuts that were randomly decorating the beige carpet. We’ll get this tomorrow morning. No need to worry now is there? Jim said quietly, sensing that Margaret was having a few last minute nerves. Margaret didn’t answer him immediately but continued to stare at the mess in her home. After a short while, she looked up at her husband and asked It won’t go wonky will it Jim, we will be alright won’t we? Jim looked down into his beautiful wife’s face and smiled, reassuringly. What can go wrong, we have the house and a bit of land, we’ll all be there before you can say hot potato, then we’ll have room to breathe.

Jim and Margaret stayed on the couch for some time, both examining the mess from the party and thinking through their plans for their new life in equal measures. After a short while, Jim declared it was time for bed, only to see Margaret sound asleep on his shoulder. Jim carefully stood up, supporting Margaret’s head as he did so, not wanting to awaken her. As Jim carried his tired wife upstairs, he looked down at her pretty face, which made him smile. Jim had a face with character in it, that was way ahead of his years and his once chiseled features were now more subtle and distinguished as the first signs of age were creeping up on him. Margaret was still as youthful and pretty as when she met Jim and although had the odd line just starting to peak its head around the corner of her eyes, had managed to look pretty every day they had been together. Jim often joked that the only thing wrong with his beautiful wife was her appalling eyesight! It was a joke he had cracked often and always within earshot of Margaret.

The day of the move was suddenly here and Margaret was frantically packing the final belongings into large wooden tea chests and ticking things off of her ‘to-do’ list. Margaret seemed to be constantly rushing around, while Jim was doing the final checks to the car. All of the furniture was now packed into a large removal lorry and two large men with round bellies were carting all of the chests, boxes and odd shaped items into the lorry, while Margaret made sure that the essentials went with them in the car. The frantic activity had proven to be too much of a temptation for several of the neighbours, who were all standing out in front of their houses, waiting eagerly to wave off Jim and Margaret.

As the stream of removal men and Margaret rushed back and forth with boxes, Amelia was standing in the small front garden, -which served one single rose bush and a place to keep the family dustbin- huddled up with her very best friend, Emily. The friends knew that they would not see each other for a long time but made promises that whatever happened, they would stay true to their friendship and would someday get to be back together again and would live in the same street again too. Margaret kept whizzing by, and with a few more trips, the lorry was packed and starting off on its journey and the door to number five was firmly slammed shut, for the last time. Jim beeped on his car horn and Margaret called out to Amelia that it was time to go. Amelia gave Emily a big hug and was frightened to let her go but with more hoots from the horn, she finally did so, leaving Emily crying. Amelia jumped into the back seat of her parent’s car and the force with which she closed the door made the entire family shake. As her father began to drive away, Amelia looked back to see Emily standing in the street waving good-bye and Amelia watched as her friend, as her ‘Best Friend’, began to get smaller and eventually disappear from her sight. As Amelia turned around, she noticed just how happy her parents seemed, which confused her, as she had come to the conclusion that this was a huge mistake, so why hadn’t they worked it out yet, after all, they were the grownups.

The Ferry and Beyond

Amelia was excited by the ferry crossing, although never showed it to her parents. After having a sandwich with her happy Mum and Dad, Amelia was allowed to go and explore the large ferry- boat. She was quickly hunting out international smugglers and looking for the most undesirable pirate the world has never known. Amelia was sure he was there somewhere but this was very unlikely on the Dover-Calais Ferry. Amelia watched as England’s shoreline vanished into the distance, soon being replaced by the fast approaching French coast. Amelia was fighting back the signs of excitement, not wanting to show her parents that they might have got something right.

As the long motorway miles clicked away beneath them, Amelia read her favourite books, with dragons and Wizards and spells in them and dreamed of one day being a great adventurer. After what seemed like forever, Amelia’s attention was being drawn away from her books and noticing that the grey, straight, motorway had been replaced by smaller, country roads, littered with brightly coloured houses and not the usual brown bricks she had become so used to at home. She noticed how the people looked different, although she could not make out why but they were certainly dressed differently. The car stopped at a junction in the middle of a village, a very old and wrinkly woman stood and stared into the car. Amelia noticed her old fashioned pink floral apron tightly tied around her bulging middle and her bright green hand-knitted jumper fastened up to the neck, which was in stark contrast to her yellow headscarf. Amelia thought that despite her age, she looked like fun and as the old woman waved out at the passengers of the car, Amelia noticed she had only three teeth left, giving her a gappy smile. All of her teeth twisted like semi-condemned houses awaiting the bulldozers. As the car continued on its journey, Amelia began to imagine her new home and asked herself some very important questions: Would it be full of women dressed like this? Were they witches with magical powers? Would she have to knit her own jumpers? Would her new country actually have a dentist?

As night began to fall for the longest car journey in history, Amelia noticed how excited her parents were becoming and soon realized the significance of a sign that read ‘CALAFAT,’ which was written above a picture of a ship, with a large black arrow pointing in the direction they were heading. Amelia noticed how her Mum was squeezing her Dad’s hand tightly and smiling enthusiastically.

With one more turn, the car pulled onto a large black piece of tarmac and her Father got out and entered a small cabin, which he exited within minutes. He was clutching, quite proudly, a bunch of paperwork, including passports and got back into the car with a skip and a hop. He turned to look at Amelia, who had given up trying to read in the pitch black of night now. Jim smiled at Amelia and said in a relaxed manner One quick trip on the ferry and we’re nearly home. Amelia smiled at her Dad, seeing his delight at making this announcement. As she did so, a voice in her head commented that ‘We left home days ago’. Amelia kept this to herself, as her parents seemed blissfully happy at the prospect of getting yet another ferry.

This ferry crossing was a complete opposite to the previous one and although Amelia was by no means a ferry expert, she felt she could now at least form an opinion on what made a good ferry. The earlier ferry had five decks, each with computer games, large screen TV’s and refreshments available everywhere but the ferry at Calafat was, well, it was a large piece of wood, powered by a smelly engine, like her granddad used to have on his lawnmower. The cars were parked, ‘bumper to bumper’ and before too long, each end of the wooden planks lifted into place and the ferry began chugging into the night. Amelia thought this was quite amusing, and as she leant over the side of the ferry, she could almost reach out and touch the black water swishing beneath the planks of wood and under the cars. Jim and Margaret were also standing outside of the car and looking out at the River Danube as it passed beneath them, both inhaling the fresh night air that was now tainted with the petrol fumes bellowing from the noisy engine. Jim wrapped his jacket around Margaret to protect her from the night-time chill. As Amelia watched them, she noticed how happy and relaxed they were and that they were smiling again. Amelia couldn’t remember the last time she had seen them look like this together.

As the primitive but adequate ferry landed at its destination with a thud and Amelia had surveyed the area for pirates and bandits, which thankfully, had taken the night off, the car lurched forward in a stream of thankful travellers and made its way up the road towards yet another booth. Jim took the papers into the booth, where Amelia could see him talking to a man wearing a black uniform with gold trim and a black leather belt that holstered a gun. Amelia was sure her Dad was not in trouble but decided to stay on alert just in case he needed rescuing, which he didn’t.

The border control man in the booth just wanted to check paperwork and allow entry into his country. Without any hitch, the paperwork was approved and her Dad waved out a hand to the gun-toting border guard to thank him and turned to leave the booth.

Jim announced Just a couple of hours or so and we’ll be home as the car re-started and continued its journey into the night.

Amelia awoke to bright sunlight, breaking in through the windows of the car and wrestling her from her dreams. She lay still for a few minutes, gradually taking in her new surroundings and piecing the journey so far together in her head. She looked at the front of