Chapter 2

Pettyloo gets angry!

Jamie tried to get up but he was too tired and he felt dizzy. The panther stood over him snarling and growling. Then it stopped and began mewling in hunger. Jamie reached for his grey leather satchel and slipped a mouse out passing it to the little panther. It mewled in thanks and began to munch on the limp creature. It’s eye sparks from the deepest of fire and it’s pelt a void of unshining charcoal.

Then he heard a shout of pure rage Mrs Pettyloo was storming towards him!

“What did you think you were doing out here!” She hissed through gritted teeth. Then she saw the little bundle of fur and warmth resting on Jamie’s stomach.

“I see you’ve met Hermes.” She spoke in a kinder voice but Jamie could detect the traces of anger from before on her voice. She began to pet the baby panther who nestled closer to Jamie and Hermes soon fell asleep.

The terror is made from-

The executioner’s gaunt smile

The drips that aren’t the pipes

Fields that have no exit

The last dark room that you’ll ever enter

And that shadowy corner where the dark figure of fear stands just waiting to make you cry.

I found the terror-

In the eye of a rusty old scarecrow where the ravens linger

Down in the depths of the ocean where no one has laid a finger

Caged in the fury of a raging bear

Ravaged on the pavement where life is rare.

This terror can-

Pierce the strongest of minds and rip them into shards

It can devour even the bravest of men and chew them up

It can crush Mt Everest until it is but a sea of gravel

It can rip the tower of Pisa off it’s foundation and brandish it as a weapon.

But if the terror was ever set free the world would be crippled and crumple like paper as ripple of fear consumed us all.

 The cat is as silent as the mouse it is stalking like the shadow of a ghost. Hunting now.

The wall of brambles is as sharp as a wolf’s bite like walking into a bee-hive. Protecting us.

The Sandy hollow is as dusty as a forgotten air vent like a barren wasteland. Practice now.

The orange blur of battles is as fast as the tongues of fire they started like a bright shadow. Fighting now.

The way we live is as lonely as a single Reed in a field of grass like the wrath of many. Alone with the wind.

The mast creaks and the sails billow but there is no wind.
The ropes coil and knot but there are no hands to tend to them.
Pale faces illuminate the portholes but there are no people here.
Many a scream empty of souls but yet no mouths to halt the eerie silence.

Blue fire lines the lanterns.
The reflection of the glowing moon haunts the jagged teeth that climb out of the water.
The rocks threaten to shred it but The ship of the lost sails right through…

Chapter 5

To run or To hide

We all land in a little pond but we soon realise that the it has followed us as a dark shape begins to writhe under the murky water. We began to run but we soon realised why the mander was so malevolent… It was prey to a swampymander, one of the biggest and noisiest manders. The two met in a ferocious battle, slime began to spatter the walls as we ran. Jaffa split from the group and as we ran along the pier he rejoined holding both eggs and screaming.

“Run! Run! Run! We need to destroy them!”

But as we headed to the shop the eggs began to hatch…

Little did we know the adventures had only just begun…………………………………………………

Prologue.

You’ve probably been to Cheery-on-sea before in the summer and devoured a deep fried doughnut, swam in the salty sea and speaking of salt you can eat fish and chips for tea.

But in the winter doughnuts wash soggy upon the shore, the sea freezes up at pier and all the fish and chips go rotten.

Chapter 1

Fishy chips.

My name is James Jamppot but everyone calls me Jammie and I run fish fanatics. My job is to record the fish that swim our shores and then update the locals. The shop is very popular as everyone wants the latest news on the Rippermander. I own a small fortune because of it. I live in my shop, I have a little tunnel leading into an underground home with a one way glass skylight.

Slipping into my room I hear a “Tap!” on the window “Tap! Tap! Tap!” again and again until I open the window just for a blur of blue to fall onto my bed. The blur sits up just to reveal itself as a scraggly, dirty black haired boy wearing blue and white striped pyjamas. “Who in the world are you, bounding into my house like a bloomin’ bouncy ball!” I exclaim as this weirdo sits bewildered.

Then suddenly he hisses “Hide me…”

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Chapter 2

5 questions.

Before we continue there is probably something I should tell you about our history 5 years ago a wailing was heard,everyone ran to the beach and found two pairs of shoes and a body. They took the body to the hospital for examination and they found a purple green quill in her neck. Soon a old man recognised the dead lady claiming that she was his daughter and that she had gone for a walk with husband and baby but they never came back and the other bodies were never found.

“Why?” I hissed

“‘Cause I’ve seen it and it wants me!”…

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Chapter 3

A deep secret.

The boy tells me his name is Jaffa McCakie as we stroll searching for a hiding place. Then I remember, “The Menagerie!” I shout a little too loud as I shove my bed to the side. Revealing the passageway and the secret.

 I climbed through the mossy porthole pushing the dank hatch door out of the way. Jaffa follows me down, down, down to an iron walkway overlooking hundreds of huge patches of gleaming water sloshing together in unison. “This is my collection of manders and other sea creatures I announce as Jaffa gasps seeing what was swimming in the enclosures.

As we walked we saw catamanders, dogamanders and even the rare legendary hamstermanders.

Then I heard a scream behind me “Why is that one empty?!” Shouted a surprised Jaffa. I ran back to the enclosure and read the sign, it was hard to make out what it said but I managed to see ‘ I ka an er.’ The lickamander, I thought. Where is it?

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Chapter 4

Custard’n’cream

Slowly Custard trotted towards the pier . As he passed the pawn shop he heard a loud crash. Speeding to a sprint he began to cross a one way glass skylight. Hearing a loud scream he jumped but as he landed he fell…

“Hurry,” I shout “That net won’t hold him for long! Head for the pier.”As we ran a creamy coloured cat fell into my arms.

“Open the hatch!” I scream as Jaffa turns the crank.Soon we are at the door flashlights in hand we open the door and step onto the street.

“Who’s your special friend there?” Asked Jaffa

“His name tag says Custard but there’s no phone number.” I replied

As we made our way to the pier we heard a warbling sound coming from Gobnob cave. We headed down the pinewood steps towards the cave. Soon we came to a deep canyon. We turned around and saw it. The rippermander in fish form… It’s head a screeching pufferfish, it’s tail swiping sword and yet it’s torso a writhing mass of kelp. In shock we went over the jagged edge.

Last night I was hiking along the beach with my dog, Dodger and I was letting him roam around when I smelt fish’n’chips, rotten fish’n’chips then I heard a horrible squelching and dripping. Soon it appeared from behind one of the rocks. It had the head of an anglerfish and the torso of a crocodile, it’s legs were crooked and bent and it’s arms were thin and skeletal. Then suddenly it grabbed a little girl and dragged her away.

As a result of imaginations-jumpscares flicker in my mind.

As a result of imaginations-I fly higher than the rest.

As a result of imaginations-I find myself walking in a maze.

As a result of imaginations-The white rabbit runs again.

As a result of imaginations-The film is my surroundings.

As a result of imaginations-the book floods back pictures a vivid memory.

On Monday I saw a magpie flying overhead as the honorary salute slashed the air.

On Tuesday I walked past victory park whilst a mass crowd filtered out of the gates in defeat.

On Wednesday I found some gum on the pavement it’s dull colour reflecting  the morning sky.

On Thursday I awoke to a rainy day as it spat around my house just like the cloud of Monday.

On Friday I met my friends on the way to school and talked about holidays.

On Saturday I found freedom in the weekend flourishing in bloom.

On Sunday I dreamed of life and death, of light and dark, of love and hate. But most of all dread, dread of another rainy week in Chorley.