The Dogs (ePub)

Set in a remote part of the Canadian countryside, THE DOGS is a first person narration by 15 year old Cameron. He and his mother have just moved yet again to keep out of the way of Cameron's violent father. Cameron desperately wants to be friends again with his Dad, but his memory of violent episodes and his mother's constant and real fear prevent him making contact. This time their new 'home' is a deserted old farmhouse where nothing's changed since the 1950s. It's owned by the next door farmer who is only now clearing out all the junk from the cellar, and won't tell them anything about the previous occupants. The attic is boarded up and the barns are in a state of disrepair, it looks as if nobody has lived there for a while. Cameron starts at the local school and soon finds there's a disturbing history to the old farmhouse. His attempts to find out more lead to a nasty confrontation with the school bully and temporary exclusion from school. At home, Cameron starts to explore the house and begins to feel a ghostly presence. In the cellar he finds some old drawings by a child, depicting a violent looking father, frightened mother and vicious dogs – is the child the same as the ghost he senses? Cameron continues to investigate the history of the house. Fuelled by stress (fear of father, school situation and jealousy of mother's new boyfriend) he has more encounters with the ghost who hints at a sinister story. The tension ratchets up and just when you think the pace can't speed up, further discoveries are made, Cameron's father makes an appearance and there is a terrifying climax.