Strange Things (ePub)

Ogres and unicorns, trolls and werewolves. Creatures that have evolved out of nothing more than our dreams and nightmares, created from our own imaginings to lurk in the recesses of our darkest thoughts or are they? Over the centuries the town of Daleford has had a long and troubled history with more than its share of misfortune. Disasters, both natural an unnatural, unexplained sightings of strange unnatural creatures, unusual weather patterns and even missing people. When a violent storm assails the town, it appears to be just one more in a series of extraordinary events that have plagued the town so the sudden overnight appearance of a mysterious shop, aptly called "Strange Things", in an alleyway causes little interest. The events however, prove to be a catalyst to bring three young teens together and expose them to a secret that's been hidden for centuries. Crippled from birth, with deformed legs and a curved spine, Sprog has been a loner for most of his life. His circumstance of being orphaned and raised by the church from an early age has also done nothing to improve his sarcastic disposition. Even Jennifer, his one and only friend, admits that the priests' description of Sprog as an "anti-social malcontent who was beyond the help of God, and who the Devil would not want anyway" was not far from the mark. Jennifer's parents are going through a separation and when her father moves out Jennifer is devastated as she struggles to cope with her changing personal environment. She blames herself for the circumstances in which she and her family find themselves. When Jennifer meets the owner of "Strange Things" a woman called Gwen who owns a psychopathic cat and claims to be a witch, the situation becomes even more bizarre.

Following the death of his parents, Justin now lives with his elderly grandmother relying on fantasy stories and researching the paranormal to alleviate his daily life. In spite of his good looks he is shy and slow to make friends. His own investigations into the bizarre history of the town result in him linking the sudden appearance of the strange shop with other incidents in other towns. Despite his best intentions, he finds himself able to irritate Sprog who sees the new boy as a potential rival for his friendship with Jennifer. When Sprog sees what appears to be a mermaid in a trawlers fishing nets, Jennifer observes a miniature dragon eating worms in her garden, and Justin is attacked by a gargoyle they are forced to rethink their opinions and they find themselves in a story of fairy-tale proportions. With the help of Gwen and her companion, a man known simply as The Watcher, they are informed storybook creatures of fantasy had once existed. Saint George was little more than a glorified pest exterminator albeit on a larger scale, a hired killer employed to destroy dragons that lived near villages. Jack the Giant Killer was simply a young thief who progressed from second storey windows to mutant beanstalks, and Hansel and Gretel were nothing more than two sociopaths with a witch fixation. A pact was reached with humankind and a parallel world was created by magic, accessed only by means of portals, where non-human creatures could live. Over time many of the portals had closed down, the pact forgotten and history re-written, until all that was left were myths and legends but an ancient activist group who believe in equality for all are determined to tear open the portals and release these mythical creatures back into the world and that the town of Daleford is just the start. The teenagers begin to realise that the town in which they live and even their own existence is under threat and that they will need to survive on more than just their wits but will also need to face their own inner demons and discover their own unique talents to prevent circumstances which will change the world as they know it forever.