Violetta Antcliff

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Violetta Antcliff

Violetta Antcliff has been a member of the Nottingham Writers’ Club for the best part of Twenty years. She is the winner of numerous short story competitions and was area short listed in Waterstone’s WOW factor story competition. She took first prize in Nottingham short story competition with a story called Irish Mouse Tales and has read her poetry and short stories on local radio.

New Titles by Violetta Antcliff

NOW IN PRINT (only in print)
The Adventures of Jason Foster: Book One (Jason and the Corner Shop Mystery, Jason and the Friendly Ghost, Magic and Mayhem and Jason Sinks to a New Low)

When Mr. and Mrs. Goldstein find they have an uninvited guest, they don’t know if they should make him welcome or make him leave. Mr. Goldstein is all for telling him to stay, pointing out to his wife that not everybody has a Leprechaun for a houseguest; and Joseph, their unruly eight-year-old son, meets his match when the Leprechaun uses magic to teach him a lesson.

Excerpt

Word Count: 5078 Pages to Print: 23
File Format: PDF Price: $2.99

Sneaky Shenanigans by Violetta Antclifff

With Father O’Tool breathing down his neck to make an honest woman of the widow Bridget Flynn, Patrick O'Malley had a problem. Could he ask the woman he loved to marry him and move from her cottage with all its modern conveniences to a farm that had nothing to offer but a tin bath and a peat fire?

Excerpt

Word Count: 4100 Pages to Print: 17
File Format: PDF Price: $2.99

Reviews
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The Haunting of Wisteria Cottage by Violetta Antcliff

The fact Wisteria Cottage is supposed to be haunted doesn’t deter Zoe from buying it; she doesn’t believe in ghosts. However, when she starts to experience ghostly kisses, it doesn’t take her long to change her mind. Coming to terms with the fact her ghost is there to stay, she strikes a bargain with him.

Excerpt

Word Count: 6200 Pages to Print: 24
File Format: PDF Price: $2.99

	The abrasive love-hate between siblings eventually leads to trouble when Jason and his friend Wayne, go to the rescue of the owner of the corner shop. Unable to convince relatives and friends that Mr. Kashmir Singh is in danger, they decide to take things into their own hands. The result is a hair-raising chase round a deserted airfield in a stolen co-op hearse before the kidnap plot is foiled. Excerpt Word Count: 18,200 Pages to Print: 61 File Format: PDF Price: $3.99

	Tommy is a boy who died at the beginning of World War II, and has returned to look for his parents. Wayne, Jason’s best friend, takes some convincing that Tommy is a ghost, as he seems so normal. But the appearances and disappearances soon convince Wayne. The problem is: how can they tell Tommy that he is dead? Excerpt Word Count: 18,500 Pages to Print: 70 File Format: PDF Price: $3.99
Reviews From Dawn Reviews Bks

	Jason thinks he is going mad when he meets a talking cat, and a man who insists he is really a Genie. With the help of his best mate Wayne, Jason goes in search of a missing lamp and finds himself in troubles of the worst kind. An evil Hobgoblin, a Witches broomsticks and a Wizard’s book of magic spells, are just some of the things the boys’ find themselves up against. Could this dangerous escapade possibly be the chums’ last? Excerpt Word Count: 18,800 Pages to Print: 66 File Format: PDF Price: $3.99


	Lost in a maze of underground tunnels, Jason and his friend Wayne are not only in danger of freezing to death or dying slowly of starvation, they are also at risk of being murdered by two dangerous criminals if they are caught. Danger lurks around every dark, dank corner and Jason needs all his wits about him to keep one step ahead. *Excerpt* Word Count: 20416 Pages to Print: 76 File Format: PDF Price: $3.99
*Reviews* From M. L. John

	Jason and Wayne are best friends, and what are best friends for? Getting into and out of trouble together! A couple of ten-year old boys turned loose on the world of modern day England, with a touch of the past hanging around for good measure. Danger? Check Bravery? Check Courage? Check Magic? Check Violetta Antcliff invites youngsters of all ages to accompany the two boys as they search for a kidnapped man, relate to a ghost their own age, help out a genii and get lost in a damp, scary cave. Adults will enjoy their own inner journey back to a time when the world was simpler, or at least we like to think it was.
	*Excerpt* *Word Count:* 76200 *Pages to Print:* 248 *File Format:* PDF *Price:* $20.98
	(ISBN #978-1-61950-023-5) $20.98 ($14.99 + $5.99 P&H—applies to US shipping ONLY. Outside US? Email us to get exact cost) Disclaimer: please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. To order the print, please click on the red button below. PLEASE NOTE: The button on the left will take you to a secure checkout at PayPal (PayPal account NOT required).

	On the outskirts of a picturesque village in the Yorkshire Dales stood a cottage called Bramble Briar. It was over one hundred years old and at one time the roof had been thatched; now it was slate. Why the previous owners had replaced it was a mystery; but Bramble Briar was a house of mystery, with secrets people only whispered about in quiet corners; especially if those people were Estate Agents. *Excerpt*
	Word Count: 5700 Pages to Print: 21 File Format: PDF Price: $3.99

Excerpts:

Leprechaun Magic

    Ruth Goldstein stood arms folded looking out of the window. She was angry, fed up with the constant battles that raged daily between her and her husband over their son. The cross words between them today had come about because she’d giving permission for the boy to see a science fiction film at the local cinema when her husband had said he couldn’t.
    Face dark as thunder, she turned to face the man she’d been married to for over ten years, walked over to where he was sitting and plonked herself down on a chair opposite him.
    “Why are you so against our Joseph going to the pictures? His pals are going, so why can’t he?” she spoke tight lipped.
Samuel Goldstein was an easy-going man, but there were times when he felt he had to put his foot down, like now.
    “Because I told him he couldn’t, that’s why,” he snapped crossly.
    “Well that’s no answer. There must be more to it than that.” Ruth wasn’t going to be put off easily, young Joseph was the love of her life and she would do anything for him. She still felt guilty when she recalled how she’d lied the day his teacher had stopped her in the street and told her that Joseph had said he was not allowed to go outside at playtime as he had a bad chest. She'd known it wasn’t true but had said it was, to keep him out of trouble, had even written a letter to confirm it.
    “If you must know, I told him he couldn’t go when it was school the next day, that’s why. That child of ours is out of control,” Samuel fought to control his anger, “I tell him he can’t do something and he turns straight to you and you say he can. And your mother’s just as bad, I stop his spending money because he back-chatted and what does she do? Gives him twice as much as he should have, that’s what.”
    “Don’t you bring my mother into this,” Ruth jumped up, charged over, and began poking him in the chest with her finger, she was cross−very cross.
     “My mother,” she said between jabs, “would do anything for our boy. Didn’t she buy him a bike when you said he couldn’t have one?”
    My point exactly, thought Samuel, with a sigh of exasperation. He knew he couldn’t win, yet he had no idea how to solve the problem.

Back to Leprechaun Magic

Sneaky Shenanigans

    Patrick O’Malley had come to a decision. Today he would ask the widow Bridget Flynn if she would consider walking out with him. He’d thought long and hard about it, spent sleepless nights tossing and turning, weighing up the pros and cons. Now, right or wrong, his mind was made up.

     It was six months since his old Ma had passed away and over two years since Bridget’s man had died. He knew there were bonuses for a man living on his own, smoking a pipe without being told get outside with the evil smelling thing was just one of them. The pleasure of being able to fart when and where he pleased without blaming it on the dog was another. But if the truth was known, he had to admit there were some things a woman could do better than a man. Putting a good supper on the table, darning socks and turning collars on shirts, just to mention a few. He missed his old Ma but it was time he started getting on with his own life, hence his resolve to call on the widow woman and chance his luck.

     Wearing his second best working clothes and Sunday cap, the dog at his heel, he strode determinedly towards the widow’s front door, knocked, and waited. He knew she was in, he’d seen the curtains twitch. She’s in no hurry to open the door to me, he thought blowing on his hands, its bloody cold standing out here. “Sit, boy,” he said giving the dog a pat on the head, “Not long now. I can hear her coming, Just you be on your best behavior do you hear me? No jumping up or chasing the cat.”                                       Back to Sneaky Shenanigans

The Haunting of Wisteria Cottage

     When Zoe stepped out of the bath and reached for her terry towel robe, she felt a kiss on the damp nape of her neck, but she didn’t turn round to see who had planted it because she knew no one would be there.
     This wasn’t the first time she’d experienced the sensation of ghostly kisses, but it was the first time her heart hadn’t started pounding and she hadn’t broken out in a cold sweat.
     “I don’t believe in ghosts, I don’t believe in ghosts,” she declared through clenched teeth, and patted herself dry.
     Zoe had only moved into the cottage the week previous and was still in the midst of unpacking. The electrical goods she’d bought via the internet; fridge freezer, washing machine and cooker, still hadn’t arrived. She was beginning to wonder if perhaps she wouldn’t have done better paying that little bit extra and getting them from the co-op, but money being tight every penny needed to be accounted for.
     She was newly single, and the settlement from her divorce had just come through. It hadn’t been as much as she’d hoped for, but it had been sufficient for the down payment on the cottage. She had a reasonably good job, ‘Agony Aunt’ for a well know woman’s magazine, and she wrote a weekly column for a daily paper, so she’d had no trouble getting a mortgage.
     The fact the cottage was supposed to be haunted hadn’t deterred her from going ahead and buying it; she didn’t believe in ghosts.
     The previous owners had put it on the market at a ridiculously low price hoping for a quick sale, but it had stayed on the Estate Agents books for over two years. When she’d put an offer in, it had been accepted without argument.

     Zoe towel dried her hair and took stock of herself in the steamy bathroom mirror. She liked what she saw: the new short hairstyle was easier to manage, and the high lights she thought were a definite improvement. She recalled her best friend Emma telling her she looked nowhere near thirty and if she had any sense, she would spend some of the divorce settlement on a new wardrobe, and start looking for a man.
     But Zoe wasn’t ready for another man; she was still smarting from the break up of her marriage to Gregory.
     The warmth in the bathroom was beginning to dissipate, and Zoe made for the bedroom.
     The door creaked when she pushed it open; the room was cold and as yet uncarpeted. She hadn’t got around to hanging curtains at the windows either, but as the cottage overlooked no other buildings they hadn’t been given priority.
     She slipped hastily into panties, bra, jeans and a top before pulling a brush through her hair and making her way downstairs.
     The sitting room was bare, apart from suitcases and luggage containing personal belongings. A cottage suite, coffee table and computer unit had been ordered from Ikea and was due to be delivered later that afternoon. She was aware it would come flat pack but she wasn’t fazed, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d put furniture together without a man’s help.
     Skirting past the cases she made her way to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee.
     The kettle whistled plaintively as it boiled, sending a shiver down her spine She rushed to turn it off, spooned coffee into a mug and opened a tetra-pack of milk; it plopped out, thick green and sour. “How the bloody hell did that happen? It’s supposed to be long life!” She cursed out loud to the empty room, annoyed with herself for not checking the date before she’d bought it. But when she checked, she found the milk well within its Sell By date. Another unexplained mystery to add to the ones that had dogged her since moving into the cottage.         Back to The Haunting of Wisteria Cottage

Jason and the Corner Shop Mystery

                                                                                                   Chapter One
                                                              Jason Has a Bad Day

     “Coo-eee, coo-eee.”
     Jason stopped what he was doing and on tip-toe peered over the neatly-clipped hedge to see who it was doing all the coo-eeing. He saw Tracy, his sister’s best friend racing down the street as if she was on some important mission. Jason waved, the girl smiled, slowed down and waved back.
Seconds later she was pushing open the gate, leaning on it and gasping for breath, at the same time as rubbing her side as if she had a stitch.
     “What’s all the racket about?” asked Jason watching her performance with interest.
     Tracy looked up. “Oh! It’s you,” she said sounding disappointed. “When I saw the ginger head peeping over the hedge I thought it was Alison.”
     “Well, it wasn’t, it was me.” Jason went back to what he’d been doing before he’d been interrupted.
     “Where is she?”
     “Gone and never coming back.” He wiped his nose on the back of his hand. “What do you want her for anyway?”
     “Something very very important,” she whispered mysteriously.
     “Tell me what it is, give us a sweet and I might tell you where to find her.”
     Jason knew Tracy was a softer touch that his sister. She often slipped him sweets without blackmail. All the same, he didn’t want to give information away too easily.
     “I can’t. It’s private. Anyway . . .” The girl paused. “What’re you doing?”
     “Holding a funeral,” Jason replied, putting his hands together and closing his eyes.
     “Who’s dead?”
     “My pet tarantula, he was squashed . . . by a trainer.”
     “You’re daft. For one, you haven’t got a tarantula. For two, there isn’t a grave.”
     Jason could see by the way Tracy looked at him, that she didn’t believe him.
     “Oh yes I have,” he said, turning to face her, head at an angle, eyes screwed up to keep out the sun. “It was a baby one I caught in our Gran’s outside lavvy. Its grave’s there beneath them crossed lollipop sticks,” he pointed toward a tiny mound of earth. “I buried it in one of my Dad’s empty fag packets.” Well it’s empty now, he thought, fingering the two cigarettes in his pocket he planned to throw away later.
     “If you’re not going to tell me where your sister is, will you give her a message for me?” Tracy stared at the crossed lollipop sticks.
     “I might, and then again, I might not. It just depends.”
     “On what?”
     “It just depends, that’s all.” No longer interested in why Tracy had called to see Alison, Jason spread out his arms and making the noise of an aeroplane, zoomed off ‘round the garden.

     For a few seconds, Tracy stood hands on hips watching him, then stooping down she began to pluck daisies from the lawn. These she laid gently on top of the tiny mound of earth. She was so wrapped up in what she was doing, Jason could tell she was unaware his sister was creeping up behind her.
     Tired of playing aeroplane, he crept forward and hid behind a bush so he could hear the girls talking.
     “What are you up to, Tracy Hicks?” his sister demanded.
     Tracy spun ‘round. “N-n-nuthing, nothing at all,” she stammered turning a bright scarlet.
     “Yes you are, and I can always tell when you’re lying, because your ears turn bright red.”
     “No they don’t.” Tracy’s hands shot to her ears.
     “Yes, they do. Anyway, what are we doing standing here arguing when we could be out looking for them lads?”
     “Well, just between you and me,” Tracy whispered, “it’s about the lads I called ‘round to see you.”
     “Go on ,then I’m listening, what about the lads?” Alison fished in her bright red handbag, as if nothing Tracy might have to say was of importance.
     “I’ve just seen them, that tall fair-haired lad and his pal. They were in St. John Ambulance uniforms.” A little smile played ‘round her lips, as if she was waiting for the tid-bit of information to sink in.
     Alison stopped ferreting in her handbag as suddenly as she had started. “Well, go on then,” she said.
     “That’s it. They were in St. John Ambulance uniforms.”
     For a few seconds Alison stared vacantly skyward, while Tracy beamed down on her like a giraffe.
     Jason stayed hidden, he realised that he knew the fair-haired boy they were talking about. He was thirteen, a year older than either of them, and ever since he’d moved into the area, they’d both had their eyes on him. They made endless trips to McDonalds on the off chance of bumping into him. It seemed they had no idea where he lived or what school he went to; Jason knew and he wasn’t about to tell them.
     “If you’re thinking what I’m thinking—” Alison sounded excited. “Then for once I agree with you, Trace. Come on, let’s see if we can join.”     Back to Jason and the Corner Shop Mystery

Jason and the Friendly Ghost

                                                        An Unusual Present

     Christmas Day—presents had been opened, the turkey carved, crackers pulled and the pudding set ablaze. Jason still had one present left to unwrap; it was from his granny Foster. He knew it would be something knitted, it always was, and by the size of the parcel he’d guessed it would be gloves and that’s why he’d left it until the last to be opened. But it wasn’t gloves, or anything else he recognized.
     “What’s this supposed to be?” he asked holding it at arm's length, a puzzled look on his face. “It looks like a tea cosy? I think Gran’s made a mistake Mum, this must be a present for you.”
     His mother, with a sigh of exasperation, took the woolly out of his hand and pulled it down over his head.
     “That’s what it’s for,” she said, “it’s what’s known as a balaclava; it’s to keep your head warm.”
     “I can’t wear that.” Jason struggled to pull it off. “If I went to school in that everybody would laugh at me and if the police saw me I’d get arrested, they’d think I was a bank robber.”
     Mr. Foster looked at his wife and shook his head. “Mum’s obviously been sorting through her old knitting patterns again,” he sighed, “I wonder what she’ll come up with next?”
     Alison, Jason’s sister, wasn’t listening. For the best part of ten minutes she’d sat with a smile on her face, and faraway look in her eyes. “Ma-a-m,” she drawled. “Can I have my ears pierced?”
     “No.” Both parents answered her at once.
     “Why not? Everybody in my class has got pierced ears.”
     “Tracy hasn’t,” whispered Jason.
     His sister shot him a warning glance. “She doesn’t count,” she whispered back.
     “Both your mother and I have said no, so that’s the end of it.”
     Knowing better than to argue with her father, Alison gave a loud huff and flounced off to her bedroom
     Jason guessed she would stay there sulking until it was time for tea. He looked round for something to do, sitting quietly and twiddling his thumbs wasn’t exactly what he’d had in mind for an exciting Christmas. They usually had friends over or went visiting, but his mum for some reason had said for a change this year, they would have a quiet Christmas.
     Jason picked up one of his presents, it was a book. He flicked through the pages, before tossing it to the floor. It wasn’t one he would have chosen for a boy nearly eleven, but he knew he would still have a thank you letter to write later on.
     He strolled over to the window; outside it was freezing cold and everything was covered in a thick coating of frost. He wondered if anyone would be playing football on the top rec. He fancied a kick around, but being Christmas Day he expected everybody would be indoors playing with their presents. Still he thought it might be worth a try, there was always the chance that he would meet somebody who fancied a game.
     “Mum, if I wrap up warm, can I go out for a bit?”
     His mother nodded her consent. She was in the middle of watching a Christmas weepy on TV and although she had seen it many times before, she still sat with a box of tissues by her side.
     With gloves on his hands, a scarf round his neck and the knitted balaclava stuffed in his pocket, Jason quietly closed the front door behind him and set off for the top rec.
     Apart from a small girl pushing a doll’s pram and one of the neighbours taking her dog for a walk, he met no one else he knew as he sauntered along.
     The trees in the park sparkled with frost and the grass scrunched underfoot, but Jason didn’t notice, for as he’d expected there was no one around. He was just going to leave when he heard a creaking noise coming from the play area; full of curiosity, he went to investigate. The noise was being made by a swing in need of oil. A boy of roughly his own age sat on it, dragging his feet slowly backward and forward on the ground as he swung.
     Jason walked toward him and the boy raised his head and smiled. “Hi, I didn’t know anyone else was around,” he said. “Didn’t notice you creeping up, do you live round here?”
     Jason nodded his head, climbed up onto the swing next to him and began bending and straightening his knees in a steady rhythm, working up the swing. He paused just long enough to say: “Yes, Acorn Drive, number thirty-six.”
     “Don’t know it,” the boy returned, and changed from sitting to standing and swinging in competition. And it wasn’t long before the laughter of the pair of them was ringing out across the deserted playground.
     After a while all the exertion left Jason in a cold sweat, and he called for a truce admitting defeat.
     But the raw wind soon had him shivering, and it wasn’t long before his nose was dripping and his ears tingling. He was tempted to take the balaclava out of his pocket and put it on, but was afraid that if he did his new pal would laugh at him, so instead he fished a tissue out of his pocket and blew his nose. “I’m freezing,” he said flapping his arms round his shoulders, “aren’t you?”
     “Yea, I’m perished,” said the boy, and pulling a khaki balaclava out of his pocket began forcing it over his head
     Jason was gob smacked. “I’ve got one of them,” he gasped. “Did your gran knit it for you?”
     “No, my mum.”
     Jason wondered if his gran knew something he didn’t, if perhaps it was a new trend. He didn’t mind wearing his now he’d seen someone else wearing one.
                                                                                      Back to Jason and the Friendly Ghost

Magic and Mayhem

                                                              Chapter One
                                                      A Bizarre Encounter

Jason had a strange feeling something was about to happen. He didn’t know what it was, or why he should be worried, but he was.

Sitting on the back doorstep with his hands over his ears, he tried to shut out the sound of a whispered argument taking place between his sister Alison, and her friend Tracy. He knew the squabbling was nothing more than a power struggle taking place as to who should be the one to push little Emily Louise’s pram, when they took her for a walk.

He was in a bad mood, it wasn’t only the constant bickering he’d had enough of, it was the way everybody tiptoed around the house talking in whispers since the new baby had arrived. He glanced over at the shiny new pram and the newcomer sleeping so utterly contented and peacefully in it, and grudgingly had to admit she really did look sweet. Nevertheless, he reminded himself with a scowl, she was the one to blame for all the sleepless nights he had to put up with, plus the fact that he now took second place in the family. And if that wasn’t enough, he was sick and tired of listening to all the cooing and baby talk that went on. He had never been so down in the dumps, and just when he could have done with his friend being around, he had to be at the dentist having a brace fitted.

“Mum,” he shouted through the open back door. “I’m off to see Gran, do you want me to take anything?” The only answer he received was a chorus of shush, a warning to keep his voice down so as not to disturb the baby. “It comes to something when I’m not even allowed to open my mouth,” he grumbled.

The girls finally reached an agreement as to who was going to do the pram pushing, and Alison was the one with the biggest grin on her face.

Jason dragged himself to his feet. “I’m going,” he called needlessly, and without a backward glance, mooched off.

Slump-shouldered, he ambled along trying to remember what it had been like before the new baby arrived. Grumpily he chewed over the fact that as it was mild, sunny, and the first day of a mid-term holiday, if it hadn’t been for little Emily Louise, the whole family would most probably have been on a day trip out somewhere by now.

He couldn’t shake off the sense of foreboding he woke up with. A dented Coke tin in the gutter got the benefit of the toe of his trainer. Hands in pockets, he stood watching as it clattered noisily down the deserted street.

“Mind what you’re doing, you big bully. You nearly did me an injury then.”

“Did somebody say something?” he cried.

“I did. What’s the matter, are you going deaf?”

Jason peeked over the garden wall of the house he was standing next to, but apart from a dog snoozing with its nose on its paws in the shade, he could see no one.

“All right Wayne, you can come out; I know it’s you,” he yelled and waited for his pal to pop out from his place of hiding. But the street remained deserted and eerily quiet. He quickly walked on.

“Going anywhere interesting?”

Lightening fast, Jason spun round hoping to catch the phantom joker, but all he saw were two pigeons squabbling over a crust of bread, and the cat he’d seen earlier, sat on the pavement edge scratching itself. “Don’t worry I’ve not got fleas,” it said through a stifled yawn.

Although the voice sounded as if it was coming from the animal, Jason refused to believe it. “All right, come out, come out, whoever you are; you can’t kid me, you’re a ventriloquist aren’t you? You’ve been throwing your voice. I was fooled for a bit but not anymore, so you might as well come out and show yourself.” Jason stood grim-faced and waited for the culprit to appear.

“Who are you waiting for kid?” The cat rubbed itself round his ankles.

“I’ll give you this much,” shouted Jason, “you’re good, and if I didn’t know any better I’d say it was this mangy old moggy talking.”

“Who are you calling a mangy old moggy?”

“Scram.” He shooed the cat away, but it refused to go. Determined to find out who the guilty party was, Jason strode resolutely down the road looking over hedges, peering through gates, and spinning round at unexpected moments. When he’d walked the length of the road one side, he continued his search on the other. Baffled, and no nearer solving the mystery, he shook his head and flopped down on the pavement edge, his feet in the gutter. “It’s all these sleepless nights I’ve been having,” he mumbled to no one in particular. “Either that, or I’m going daft.”

“Stop making excuses and accept the fact it’s me talking to you.”

Crouched as he was, Jason slowly turned his head until he was on eye level with the cat. Any doubts he’d had about his sanity before, he felt were now fully justified. Mouth gaping, eyes glazed, he watched spellbound as the animal’s mouth opened, and closed in perfect synchronization to the spoken words. This was just one coincidence too many for him, and in blind panic he scrambled to his feet and belted down the road, running faster and harder than he had ever run before. It wasn’t until he was standing outside his grandparent’s house panting for breath that he stopped, leaned on the garden gate, and gulped in air. Doubled over he massaged his side to ease the pain of a stitch.

“You got battery-operated trainers on your feet, kid? It took me all my time to keep up with you.”

“A-a-a-h-h!” Jason yelled and stared in horror at the cat that had not only followed him, but now sat coolly licking its paws, washing behind its ears and he could have sworn, grinning at him.

Not bothering to close the gate, he raced up the path and hammered with both fists on the front door. He heard his grandmother tutting in annoyance as she turned the key and fumbled with the door chain. Come on, come on, hurry up and let me in, he urged silently.

His gran came to the door with flour on her hands and a scowl on her face. “Haven’t I told you before about using the front door?” she asked. “I was in the middle of taking a tray of jam tarts out of the oven when you started trying to beat it down, I thought somebody had been murdered.” She brushed a smudge of flour from her cheek before pausing to look at him. “You’re out of breath, sweaty and you’ve got dark circles under your eyes. Are you feeling all right?” She asked, placing a cool, floury hand on his forehead.

“I’m fine, Gran, honest. I’ve just been running, that’s all.”

“Why? Has somebody been chasing you?”

Jason recognized the glint in his gran’s eye, but he knew the last thing he was going to tell her was he’d been running away from a talking cat. “No one’s been chasing me, honest. I’ve taken up jogging that’s all; I’ve heard it’s good for you,” he said and began to jog on the spot.

“Not if it makes you look like that it isn’t, so stop it this instant and take yourself inside where it’s nice and cool. I’ll get you a glass of lemonade and if you behave yourself I might even give you a jam tart.” She ushered him into the house, replaced the chain and locked the door.

A cold drink and time to collect his thoughts sounded like heaven to Jason. But he wasn’t prepared for the surprise that was waiting for him when he entered the living room. Knocked for six, mouth gapping, he stood and stared at the cat curled up on his granddad’s favourite chair as if he had every right to be there.

But sleeping peacefully as it was, it looked no different from any other cat and Jason began to suspect it was just lack of sleep, he was suffering from. “Puss, I said puss, can you hear me?” he whispered.

At that moment his gran entered the room carrying a glass of lemonade in one hand, and plate of jam tarts in the other. She set them down on a coffee table in front of him. “Who’s that you’re talking to?” she asked.

“Just a cat,” replied Jason, taking a tart from the plate and biting into it.

“Now, how did that get in here?” Jason’s gran shook her head in disbelief. “I know I didn’t leave any doors open.” She leaned forward and cautiously stroked the sleeping tom’s head, receiving a body-vibrating purr in reward. “You poor thing,” she cooed picking it up and cradling it in her arms. “I can feel every bone in your body.”

A pitiful meow trembled in the air and the cat nuzzled its head under her chin. With one paw round the woman’s neck, the other resting on her shoulder, it lifted its head and winked at Jason.

The wink was just too much of a coincidence for Jason. “I’d put it down if I were you, Gran,” he said. “It could have worms.”

Although the cat hadn’t said a word since it had followed him into the house, he was worried that if it did start talking while his gran was holding it, it might give her a heart attack. “Put it down, Gran,” he insisted. “It could have fleas as well.”

Jason’s grandmother peered at the cat’s head, before planting a kiss on a tuft of white fur between its ears and declaring, “There’s nothing wrong with this cat a good feed won’t put right. I don’t know who you belong to, puss, but I know a plate full of leftover chicken pieces won’t do you any harm.” She strode purposefully through to the kitchen, the cat purring at full throttle in her arms.

Jason shook his head in disbelief. Although the cat had behaved itself since coming into the house, he still didn’t feel he could trust it. Warily, he poked his head round the kitchen door and saw that the cat was tucking into a plate overflowing with chicken pieces, and his gran was in the middle of skimming the cream from a bottle of gold top into a dish.

Feeling in need of a drink himself, he went back for his glass of lemonade and bottomed it. Less than ten minutes later the cat waddled to the front door, and stood there meowing long and loud.

                                                                                                         Back to Magic and Mayhem

Jason Sinks to a New Low

Chapter One
Trespassing

A notice the waste ground had been acquired by the council and was up for redevelopment was big enough for anyone to see, but the boys chose to ignore it. They knew where a section of the fence surrounding the ground was in need of repair, and it wouldn’t be the first time they’d taken advantage of the fact.

After first making sure no one was about, they pushed one of the lose panels to one side, scrambled through and pulled it back into position behind them.

Once inside they stood, hands shading their eyes from the fading sun, and looked around.

“They’ve done nowt,” cried Wayne in disgust, and throwing his arms in the air, spun them round like a windmill.

“What did you expect?” returned Jason, equally disappointed at finding nothing had changed since the last time they’d sneaked inside.

“I thought at least there’d have been a workman’s hut or summat,” Wayne plonked down heavily on a fallen log and pushed his hair back out of his eyes.” Shall we go home, then?” Jason joined him on the log and rested back against the trunk of a tree.

“You can if you want; I’m staying here for a bit,” mumbled Wayne. “There must be something round here worth looking at.”

Jason thought about the homework in his duffle-bag and how he should have been at home doing it, instead of sitting there wasting time. He knew Wayne was in no rush to get home, because for the second time in a month, he’d smashed a pane of glass in the next door neighbour’s cold frame. His spends were already being stopped for the last time it had happened, and he knew he’d be in for another ticking off when his dad got home from work.

Jason closed his eyes, his thoughts drifting slowly back to the hard day he’d had at school and how unfairly he believed he’d been treated. Mr Cox, his teacher, had told him off in front of the class, twice. Once for daydreaming when he hadn’t been; he’d only been thinking how he could get his dad to fork out for a new pair of football boots, as the studs on his old ones needed replacing. Then again for talking in class, when he’d only asked Richard Bates what time it was because he was ready to go home; and for this he’d been given fifty lines to write.

The sun had gone in, and it had turned cold, cold enough for Jason to stir himself. He opened his eyes, scratched his head and rubbed his hands together to warm them up. “Way-n-e,” he drawled and waited for him to answer. When he didn’t, he looked around to find out why, but Wayne was no longer sitting where he’d been only a short time earlier; he was nowhere to be seen. Jason was puzzled, couldn’t believe his friend would creep off without saying anything to him first.

“Wayne where are you?” he called sharply. But apart from the sound of wind rustling through leaves on the tree, and the pitter-patter of a mouse scurrying from behind an upturned rubbish bin, there was neither sight nor sound of Wayne or anything else; it was creepy.

Jason gave a shrill whistle, but there was no reply, nothing. He tried again, still no response. He was fuming, and muttering under his breath what he would do the next time he saw him. He stomped over to the loose piece of fencing they’d come in by and pushed it roughly to one side. He was just about to step through, when he heard someone calling his name. He stopped and listened. He didn’t think the voice sounded like Wayne’s; it was too croaky, but in spite of that, he knew it couldn’t possibly be anybody else’s as nobody else knew he was there.

He returned to the spot under the tree where he’d last seen Wayne, but nothing had changed. A mouse vigorously sorted through the rubbish looking for titbits, and the tree still shook its leaves.

Jason stood, arms folded, listening; “I know I’m not hearing things,” he said to himself. “I definitely heard someone calling me.”

He raised his voice, “Wayne, you’d better show yourself, or I’ll go home and leave you to it. And,” he threatened, “I won’t come and visit you if you get caught and thrown into prison for trespassing.”

“I’m down here; come and get me out.” A voice weak and hardly audible trailed thinly in the air. It was followed by a violent bout of coughing and sneezing.

“Speak up, I can’t hear you. Where’s down here? How can I get you out if I don’t know where you are?”

“I don’t know where I am. It’s dark and I’m scared, come and get me out pl-e-a-se.”

Wayne sounded terrified, and Jason knew he wasn’t pretending. “Are you sure you can’t see anything?” he asked.

“I told you I couldn’t, didn’t I?”

“Okay, don’t panic. If you can’t tell me where you are, can you tell me how you got there in the first place?”

“I went looking for conkers, tripped over, banged my head, and the next thing I knew I was down here where I am now; so come and get me out.”

It was starting to get dark and Jason knew if he wasn’t home soon he’d be in trouble. His sister Alison had only just started talking to him after being sent to the rec to look for him the last time he’d been late home from school. All the same, he knew he couldn’t leave without first finding Wayne.

“Stay where you are, I’m coming to find you.” Jason looked wildly around. He had no idea where to start looking. The waste ground covered a large area, big enough to build a supermarket on, if the rumours were true.

He wandered aimlessly back and forth, returning time and time again to the place where he’d last heard Wayne’s voice. He peered into ditches half full of muddy water, tore his trousers, got his legs stung with nettles, tripped over fallen branches, grazed his knees, but he knew he couldn’t stop looking until he’d found his friend.

In the distance, he heard the town hall clock strike the hour; he’d been searching since the clock last struck fifteen minutes ago, and he was still no nearer to finding Wayne. He’d run out of ideas, was at a loss as what to do next, and it was time they were home. Cupping his hands round his mouth he yelled, “Where are you?” so loud, he scared the tiny mouse off.

“I’m down here,” echoed mournfully back from directly below where Jason was standing. He dropped to his knees and pressed his ear to the ground.

“Wayne, listen I want you talk, sing, make a noise—anything, while I try and pinpoint exactly where you are. I think you must be in a cave or something because your voice’s got a funny echo to it. You didn’t crawl into a drain pipe, did you?” Jason thought that was a likely explanation as there were all kinds of rubble littered around.

“No I didn’t, now stop asking me daft questions and just come and get me out of here. And if you want me to start singing, I only know one song; ‘All things bright and beautiful,’ will that do?”

“Just sing, and I’ll follow where the sound’s coming from.”

“Hurry up then, because I’m starving.”

Jason grinned; he knew if Wayne was complaining he was hungry it could only mean he wasn’t hurt, and getting him to sing would take his mind off things.

On all fours, Jason crawled around following Wayne’s shaky voice, sometimes loosing it altogether and having to backtrack. Finally a bout of coughing, louder than any he had heard before, convinced him Wayne really was directly beneath where he was kneeling.

He stood up. He needed to stretch his legs because they were aching from so much crawling around and he had the beginnings of cramp. He stamped his foot, hoping it would loosen the knotted muscles in his calf, but it didn’t. If anything, it made them worse, but as stamping had cured his cramp once before, he tried again, only this time he stamped much harder.

The earth shook and a noise like the rumble of thunder filled the air. Jason thought it was an earthquake; he wanted to run, but his legs refused to move. He watched in horror as the ground beneath him began to crumble away. He screamed, afraid he was falling to his death. Grappling, snatching, clawing, he tried to save himself but it was no use. Sliding, rolling, tumbling, he plummeted ever deeper into the jaws of a yawning black hole.

Back to Jason Sinks to a New Low

The Haunting of Bramble Briar

A couple of weeks previous, there had been three properties on the estate agents’ books I’d been interested in: Wisteria Cottage, The Anvil in Clay Bottom and Bramble Briar on Old Church Lane. Now there were only the two; Wisteria Cottage had been sold the day prior to my visit.

The Anvil once belonged to the village blacksmith, so the estate agent informed me; hence its name. It was well-maintained and came with two outbuildings and a stable, but as I had no intentions of buying a horse, or starting a riding school, I turned down the invitation to view. It was also a tad outside of my price range.

I wasn’t short of money. I’d made some good investments over the years playing the stock markets, and luck was with me when I sponsored an unknown pop-group that turned out to be a winner, and was still paying me handsome profits.

The outdated sepia photograph in the estate agent window showed Bramble Briar, years before, with a thatched roof. Now it was slate. I’d have been much happier if the previous owners had left it as it was; slate looked so out of place on a cottage built of grey Yorkshire stone.

What I couldn’t understand was why anyone would go to all that unnecessary expense and then, so soon after, put the property back on the market. However, I was soon to learn more.

“Put that down, Missus. It’s our job not yours. That’s what you’re paying us for.”

I put down the kitchen stool I’d been carrying through to the cottage, as the furniture removal man requested; he nodded to his mate and received a sly wink in return.

“How much longer will you be?” I asked. Both men had spent more time standing around gossiping and smoking than getting on with the job, and as I was paying by the hour, I was getting impatient.

“Won’t be much longer now, will we, Bert? Mind you, we’d be done much quicker if you slipped the kettle on and made us a cuppa. Two sugars in mine, love, only one in Marlon’s. He’s on a diet.”

I knew it was no use arguing so I went indoors, unpacked the kettle and plugged it in. Minutes later I handed the steaming beverages over to the men; half an hour later, they decided to pick up where they had left off.

It wasn’t long, however, before Bert, complaining of a bad back, made himself comfy in one of my armchairs in the front garden, leaving Marlon to finish off, as he put it.

“Nice view you’ve got from ‘ere, ain’t it, Missus?” he remarked, mopping his brow with a grimy teacloth sized handkerchief.

“Yeah, better than the view from the back,” chipped in Marlon. “Bloody graveyard. ‘Ave you seen it?”

Bert hadn’t, and he was soon on his feet, going to investigate. “Did you know about this before you bought the place, Missus?” he asked upon his return.

I assured him I did and plonked myself down on the vacated chair before he had time to. He took the hint, and went back to help cart the last of the boxes from the furniture van.

“I bet nobody told you about the spooky history of Bramble Briar though, did they?” Marlon stood in front of me; arms folded, cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth.

“What history?” I asked.

“You’ll find out for yourself soon enough, just like the last lot did. And—”

I cut him off in mid-sentence with a flattened palm turned to him. I wasn’t interested. I just wanted them gone; I’d had more than enough.

“I’m just nipping inside to get my cheque book. I can see you’re nearly finished,” I said. Bert got the message, picked up the chair and with Marlon’s help, carried it into the cottage.

The cheque I made out for the exact amount, no tip included. Mumbling something definitely not complimentary when I handed it over, the men clambered into the removal van and drove off, gears grating.

I didn’t feel guilty. The day was half gone, and I had a lot to do before I could take a break. A job that should have taken the removal men no more than three hours at the most, had been dragged out to four. I was glad to see them go.

That night I slept the sleep of the dead. No sooner had my head touched the pillow than I was off, out like a light. I awoke the next day to the sound of the morning chorus, feeling refreshed and ready to start work. The sun shone, I was in a good mood and it promised to be a lovely day. What could possibly go wrong?

After a breakfast of tea toast and marmalade, I decided to take a walk in the back garden before getting dressed for the day. Apart from the graveyard and the ruins of a church, there was no other property nearby. I could have strolled outside stark naked, if I’d wanted.

I trod carefully down the overgrown, weed-covered cinder path, to the wall that separated my property from the church graveyard. Everything looked peaceful—a stone angel, hands folded in prayer, stood no more than a foot away from where I was standing. Tombstones, lichen-covered, many at sloped angles, dozed peacefully in the early morning sunlight. Feeling like an intruder, I made my way back to the cottage, but the door I had left open and unlocked was now shut tight; wouldn’t budge no matter how hard I pushed, pulled and rattled. Admitting defeat, I made my way round to the front hoping to gain entry that way. No such luck, the door was firmly bolted as I knew it would be; I was locked out and had no idea how I could get in.

I plonked down on the front doorstep and sat head-in-hands trying to find a solution to my problem. I couldn’t phone for a locksmith, as my mobile was upstairs in the bedroom on the bedside table along with my car keys. I couldn’t phone for help or drive anywhere.

Time dragged and there was nothing I could do but sit and wait. The sun had gone in and rain threatened. I was just giving up hope of anyone passing by when I heard a car coming down the lane. I dashed outside and stood arms waving, yelling, “Stop! Stop!” at the top of my voice. The vehicle slewed to one side, narrowly missing me, before coming to a halt. The driver was the village postman, looking shaken and none too happy as he walked towards me.

“What’s up?” he asked, face scowling. “Don’t you realise you could have caused a nasty accident jumping out at me like that? It’s a good job I was looking where I was going, weren’t it?”

“Yes, I really am sorry,” I smiled in way of apology. “It was the only way I could think of getting you to stop.”

“What’s up, then?” he repeated.

I explained what the trouble was and asked if he could help me in any way. It took him less than two seconds to open the back door, pressing down the latch and pushing it open with one finger. I felt like an idiot.

Back to Bramble Briar

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