The Ghost Tree - Preview
A dark and twisted fairy tale of myth, mystery and magic...
Read on to preview the first chapter of The Ghost Tree:
Chapter I
Jasper
Jasper was not a nice man. He had lived in the village for many years, but everyone liked to pretend that he wasn’t there. His house looked dilapidated and abandoned. His front door was cracked and rotten. Rags hung in the windows for curtains. His front garden was overgrown with weeds and brambles. He had to force the gate shut behind him whenever he left the house, which didn’t happen very often.
He had only one neighbour. She never spoke to him. A family had lived on the other side of him at one time, but they had moved out after their little girl got scared of him. They hadn’t been able to sell the house, and now their garden was as overgrown as Jasper’s.
On the odd occasion when Jasper did leave his house, he liked to walk down to the local school and watch the children playing for a while. Usually the police would turn up in their panda car and ask him to move on, as he was scaring the children.
Jasper knew he scared the grown-ups even more.
He would smile to himself, and then take a walk through the woods, high above the meadow, past the little cottage where the pretty little girl and the handsome little boy stayed on their holidays. They were growing up fast, the girl a teenager now, the boy not so far behind. Jasper liked to watch from the edge of the forest as they walked in the fields.
Today was one of those days when Jasper left the house. He had trouble opening his gate and shutting it tight again, dragging it over the grass and weeds, banging his thumb on the gate post, making it bleed. He cried out and hit back at the post, giving up and leaving the gate wedged slightly open.
It was home-time at the school, the first day of term after the summer holidays. The sun was shining through the drizzle of rain that kept on falling. The grown-ups eyed him suspiciously. Jasper stood at the end of the road, watching through the gap in the fence from across the street.
One little boy was on his own, waiting just inside the school gate.
Jasper waited, watching the teachers through the fence. They were looking the other way, paying no attention to him.
Checking for traffic, Jasper quickly crossed the road and bent down in front of the little boy. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a toffee wrapped in shiny foil and offered it to him.
“Thank you,” the boy said timidly as he unwrapped the foil and popped the toffee into his mouth.
“Shhhh,” Jasper whispered, putting his dirty finger to his lips. “I’m glad you like toffees. I like toffees too! Do you want to know a secret?”
The little boy’s eyes were wide as he looked up at him. He didn’t answer at first, then slowly nodded his head.
“Have you ever heard of the Ghost Train?” Jasper asked him.
The little boy shook his head shyly.
“I can show it to you. It’s in the Enchanted Forest. Do you want to come and see it with me?”
The little boy shook his head again, nervous now.
“Why not?” Jasper asked him. “It’s really exciting. I’ll look after you.”
“Joseph!!” It was one of the teachers shouting.
Jasper quickly turned and started walking up the street, away from Joseph and the pesky teachers who were running up to the gate.
He looked back and saw one of them was following him. He quickened his pace until he was running, trying not to turn around and look back in case he tripped and fell over on to his face.
He didn’t stop until he had reached the forest, hidden by trees. He leaned against one, panting, looking back the way he had run, thinking that they had stopped following him.
There was a sound in the undergrowth.
They must still be chasing him! He needed to keep moving.
Breathing heavily, he held the stitch in his side as he stumbled through the trees.
Before long, he realised he was somewhere he hadn’t been to before, deep into the forest. Looking around him, he tried to remember the bluebells that lined both sides of the path, but couldn’t. He definitely had never been here.
It was getting dark. He was now walking even slower, struggling to see.
He collided with something, knocking his sore thumb and crying out.
It was a tree.
An old, gnarled tree. It reached up towards the sky, too far for him to see it properly, thick branches snaking off the trunk and twisting above his head. There were no leaves on the branches, only this tangle of wood that looped and knotted, like the tree was strangling itself. There was something cruel about it.
___
The story continues this autumn...
Pre-order the Kindle edition from Amazon now, ready for release next Saturday, 23rd September!
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Read on to preview the first chapter of The Ghost Tree:
Chapter I
Jasper
Jasper was not a nice man. He had lived in the village for many years, but everyone liked to pretend that he wasn’t there. His house looked dilapidated and abandoned. His front door was cracked and rotten. Rags hung in the windows for curtains. His front garden was overgrown with weeds and brambles. He had to force the gate shut behind him whenever he left the house, which didn’t happen very often.
He had only one neighbour. She never spoke to him. A family had lived on the other side of him at one time, but they had moved out after their little girl got scared of him. They hadn’t been able to sell the house, and now their garden was as overgrown as Jasper’s.
On the odd occasion when Jasper did leave his house, he liked to walk down to the local school and watch the children playing for a while. Usually the police would turn up in their panda car and ask him to move on, as he was scaring the children.
Jasper knew he scared the grown-ups even more.
He would smile to himself, and then take a walk through the woods, high above the meadow, past the little cottage where the pretty little girl and the handsome little boy stayed on their holidays. They were growing up fast, the girl a teenager now, the boy not so far behind. Jasper liked to watch from the edge of the forest as they walked in the fields.
Today was one of those days when Jasper left the house. He had trouble opening his gate and shutting it tight again, dragging it over the grass and weeds, banging his thumb on the gate post, making it bleed. He cried out and hit back at the post, giving up and leaving the gate wedged slightly open.
It was home-time at the school, the first day of term after the summer holidays. The sun was shining through the drizzle of rain that kept on falling. The grown-ups eyed him suspiciously. Jasper stood at the end of the road, watching through the gap in the fence from across the street.
One little boy was on his own, waiting just inside the school gate.
Jasper waited, watching the teachers through the fence. They were looking the other way, paying no attention to him.
Checking for traffic, Jasper quickly crossed the road and bent down in front of the little boy. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a toffee wrapped in shiny foil and offered it to him.
“Thank you,” the boy said timidly as he unwrapped the foil and popped the toffee into his mouth.
“Shhhh,” Jasper whispered, putting his dirty finger to his lips. “I’m glad you like toffees. I like toffees too! Do you want to know a secret?”
The little boy’s eyes were wide as he looked up at him. He didn’t answer at first, then slowly nodded his head.
“Have you ever heard of the Ghost Train?” Jasper asked him.
The little boy shook his head shyly.
“I can show it to you. It’s in the Enchanted Forest. Do you want to come and see it with me?”
The little boy shook his head again, nervous now.
“Why not?” Jasper asked him. “It’s really exciting. I’ll look after you.”
“Joseph!!” It was one of the teachers shouting.
Jasper quickly turned and started walking up the street, away from Joseph and the pesky teachers who were running up to the gate.
He looked back and saw one of them was following him. He quickened his pace until he was running, trying not to turn around and look back in case he tripped and fell over on to his face.
He didn’t stop until he had reached the forest, hidden by trees. He leaned against one, panting, looking back the way he had run, thinking that they had stopped following him.
There was a sound in the undergrowth.
They must still be chasing him! He needed to keep moving.
Breathing heavily, he held the stitch in his side as he stumbled through the trees.
Before long, he realised he was somewhere he hadn’t been to before, deep into the forest. Looking around him, he tried to remember the bluebells that lined both sides of the path, but couldn’t. He definitely had never been here.
It was getting dark. He was now walking even slower, struggling to see.
He collided with something, knocking his sore thumb and crying out.
It was a tree.
An old, gnarled tree. It reached up towards the sky, too far for him to see it properly, thick branches snaking off the trunk and twisting above his head. There were no leaves on the branches, only this tangle of wood that looped and knotted, like the tree was strangling itself. There was something cruel about it.
___
The story continues this autumn...
Pre-order the Kindle edition from Amazon now, ready for release next Saturday, 23rd September!
Follow me on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Threads
Follow me on Twitter
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