You're in for a real treat!
The authors of The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow
are here with a short story and scary interview! *trembles*
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And visit them on their blog at http://thesecretdmsfilesoffairdaymorrow.blogspot.com/
FERRY
BLACKWELL STRIKES AGAIN
“No way!” Georgie exclaimed. “Mom told
you to stop making up stories.”
“It's true. I saw Ferry Blackwell,” Macy said. “He had a head like a
melon.”
“You did not.
Get your stuff and let’s go. We’re gonna be late.” Georgie walked out the door,
and Macy followed, wishing her big brother would believe her this time. She did
like to make up stories and their mom had asked her to knock it off, but
this wasn’t a story. She had spotted Ferry Blackwell, she was sure of it.
***
Shifting from one foot to the other,
Macy stared down the school driveway. All the buses had left; everyone was
gone. Georgie was late. She had tried to call him on her cell phone, but there
was no answer. Her mom was at work, but Macy knew interrupting her would
guarantee a whole evening of arguing. Slipping the phone into her back pocket,
she decided to walk home.
As the pavement twisted and
turned she found herself thinking about Ferry Blackwell again. Last week she
had started reading a book about the history of her town, Devilsville. It hadn’t
been very interesting, except for one phrase, which was handwritten on page
thirty-three. It said: In the woods of Devilsville, you’re sure to find a
gory thrill. When the bakerman wants to eat, hide your hands and cover your
feet. With a head melon-sized and fire burning in his eyes, he’ll harvest your
fingers and your toes, then hide the rest so no one knows. Murdered by an angry
town, he swore revenge when they shot him down. So watch your children, but
never tell- if Ferry Blackwell comes back from hell.
Macy knew the words by heart. She
had looked through a few other books, but found nothing else about Ferry
Blackwell. Then, the other day, she saw him. There had been an odd rustling
behind the bushes in her backyard, and when she went over to investigate,
someone was there. It looked like a man, but with a huge head. He had
flashed a mad, toothy grin at her, and then disappeared. Her mother had come
running out when she heard Macy’s rants of terror.
“Macy! What did I tell you about scaring
people with your stories?” her mother had yelled. Macy knew that no one was
ever going to believe her, and why should they? After all, she did have a long
history of making things up, which had opened more than one can of worms for
her parents to deal with. Things like, Ginny Wader, in the third grade, refusing
to touch door handles ever again or Georgie wearing a helmet wherever he went
for a year. The list was long, she mused. Her thoughts were suddenly cut short.
Just ahead, at the bottom of the hill, a school bus was stopped in the middle
of the road. Macy cautiously walked up to it and climbed the steps. Other than
the backpacks strewn about on the seats it appeared empty.
“Hello?” she asked quietly. “Is
anyone here?” Macy slowly made her way down the aisle. Midway, something caught
her eye and when she turned to get a closer look, her mouth dropped open in
horror. On the seat to her left was a bloody pile of shoes and socks, and what
looked like fingernails tossed into the gruesome heap.
BANG! Something hit the side of
the bus. “What was that?” she whispered. BANG! Again, the bus shook and
teetered. Macy reacted fast. She ran up the aisle and grabbed the door handle.
Just as it was about to latch, long fingers pried it back open. Two red, veined
eyes zeroed in on their target. Terror forced the air out of her lungs, and she
screamed.
***
Macy was flat on her back when she woke.
She was chained to the floor, and her feet were bare. A painful stinging in her
fingers and toes sliced through her body. Where was she? What had happened?
“Who else is here?” she
questioned the darkness.
“Shhhh,” a panicked voice
ordered.
“Who’s there?” she said again.
“Stop
talking, you idiot. He’ll hear you.” It was a terrified sounding boy.
“Why’s it so dark?” Macy continued. She had no intention of shutting up.
“I
think we’re in a basement,” another voice chimed in.
Suddenly it
dawned on her where they must be. It had to be the abandoned house on Hull Street.
She and Georgie would come here when things around the house got too serious.
It was their hiding spot, and she knew it well. Even the moldy, abandoned
smells were familiar. “How many people are here?” she asked.
"I’m here, Marcus Beltane,” came a nervous voice.
“Me too, I’m Jen Andrews.”
The voices started to pick up, “Justin Deluca,
Melanie Grism...” There seemed to be about ten kids sitting in the dark with
her; all scared, and all, she was certain, without their fingernails and
toenails.
The creaking of a door silenced the murmuring. A light
flickered on, cutting through the blackness. Macy squinted her eyes open a bit
and stared up at the ceiling, watching as a shadow with an enormous melon
shaped head moved across the room. Its heavy footfalls came to a halt.
Suddenly, a cackling voice bellowed out, “Looky here, girls and boys, forget
your mommies and your toys. The fun and games will soon begin; to scare me back
is how you win. But should you lose, you’ll pay a price, your fingers and toes
I’ll surly dice. Just try to leave! It won’t do you well. For I’m back from
hell. I’m the Bakerman, Ferry Blackwell.” His howling laugh sounded insane,
like a hyena calling out to its prey. He did an odd little jig. Then, in an
instant, he was gone.
“Okay,
this is really happening,” Macy said, more to herself than anyone else. She
took a deep breath, then continued, “He said something about winning, didn’t
he?"
“Yeah,
he said, to scare me back is how you win,” a trembling voice squeaked. “He also
said that he was a bakerman. What’s he going to do? Cook us into bread or
something?”
“I think
that’s exactly what he’s going to do,” Macy responded, remembering what she had
read. “But, it sounds like if we scare him back, we win. Which, I guess, means
we get to live.”
“How are we
supposed to scare him? He’s a demon who makes bread out of kids’ fingers and
toes. I mean, what’s scarier than that?” Macy recognized the voice of
Jen Andrews.
“I know,
but...” Her mind was whirring. Then, it hit her. She remembered the cell phone
in her pocket. The door opened. Macy threw caution to the wind and whispered
just audibly, “I have a plan.”
***
Her heart thudded in her chest as
a shadow moved into the room. “So kiddies, who’s it going to be? Who wants to
be the first to try to scare me?” His voice sounded crazy.
Macy mustered up all of her strength and called out, “I’ll go first, you don’t
scare me. You’re going to be caught any minute.” She kept her breathing even as
Ferry Blackwell loomed above her, searching her face with his terrifying eyes.
He was so close that she could smell his putrid, stinking
breath.
“You wait and see! I’ll show you just how scary I can be!” He pulled her up by
her hair and dragged her to a chopping block in the center of the room.
Grabbing her left arm, he slapped her hand down on it.
She focused her mind on the
weight in her back pocket, hoping beyond hope she hadn’t been knocked out for
more than thirty minutes. The reminder alarm on her phone had been set to go
off at exactly 4PM, and it had to be about that time. Macy glared up at
Ferry Blackwell and said, “Everyone in town already knows where we are. Kids
today have GPS trackers implanted in our bodies that tells our parents exactly
where we are at all times. You’ll see, the town’s people will be here any
moment to shoot you down and send you back to hell, Ferry Blackwell.”
He
looked bemused, as he replied, “Clever girl! You know my name! Now, let’s begin
our little game. Terribly funny to think you’ll be saved- when for a century,
fingers and toes I’ve craved!” He raised a sharp blade above his head, poised
to strike. Macy squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself. Please go off alarm,
she prayed, believing that this would, at the very least, buy her more time. As
if on cue, a loud beeping blared out from her pocket. Ferry leered at her,
unsure. Just then, in a brilliant moment of pure luck, another cell phone rang
out, perhaps a concerned parent. Another one went off with a mechanical jingle.
The timing couldn’t have been better. Suddenly, there was a frantic banging on
a door. The demon spun around wildly, looking terrified. “No, no, not to hell.
Hide, I must and never tell,” he bellowed and dropped the blade. It landed with
a clink just as Ferry Blackwell shot into the air and burst into flames,
disappearing in a black puff of smoke.
No one breathed. Somewhere above,
Georgie’s worried voice called out, “Macy, are you in here?”
INTERVIEW
WITH FERRY BLACKWELL
Cate:
What do you
love most about Halloween?
Ferry Blackwell:
Halloween's a joke, that's what I say! It’s better in hell on that boring day.
I can't even scare, so there's nothing to win- the people want horror and are likely to sin. I'd rather lay low and bide my
time, when the moment's right, I'll get what's mine.
Cate:
Do you have a
favorite memory of a Halloween past?
Ferry Blackwell: There
was this one time, now let me see- I remember a Halloween treat that I baked
just for me. I'd gathered my wits, then sought the ingredients, hoping to find a
few fresh, young deviants. Mostly I needed fingers and toes, so I snatched them
right up, despite all their woes. I sliced and diced, and baked my bread, even
shared it graciously with those not yet dead.
Cate:
Have you ever had an unusual experience
you can't explain?
Ferry Blackwell:
I am an unusual experience you can't explain! You won't see me coming,
and then you'll know pain. (Stands up, does a quick jig, then sits down
again- grinning).
Cate:
What frightens
you the most?
Ferry Blackwell:
The time I told you about the treat, that Halloween was not so sweet. You see,
though the bread did taste grand, the people found me, guns in hand. I was scared
when they shot me down, but I swore I'd be back to haunt their town. Now here I
am, as you can tell- Ferry Blackwell's back from hell! (Cackling laugh)
Cate:
Ever gone on a
ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own?
Ferry Blackwell:
Bah! Ghosts are for babies! They can't even speak. Nothing scary about them,
they're flimsy and weak.
Cate:
Any favorite
Halloween recipes you'd care to share?
Ferry Blackwell:
Lookie here! I'll grant your wish- Toe Finger Bread's my signature dish! It's
so scrumptious, you'll surely agree. Next time I bake it, I shall slice some for
thee.
Ferry Blackwell: Now
that's the end, I've had enough. Talking to people can really be tuff. I’ve
something in mind if you like a good scare- enter to win, but remember, beware!
Mwahahaha…
Ferry's Toe and Finger
Bread
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Jessica
Haight is a true New Englander, with a deep desire to be near the ocean
and a love of the four seasons. She enjoys drawing while standing up
and cultivating magic in her garden. She easily floats away in the pages
of a good story and is still waiting for her owl from Hogwarts.
Jessica
lives in Connecticut with her charming fiancé, James; their dog, Jack;
their cat, Bill; and a very entitled bunny named Alice.
Stephanie
Robinson lives with her husband in a quiet town, though it is not as
quaint as Ashpot. After teaching fifth grade for almost fifteen years,
she is now enjoying her role as a school media specialist. One of the
many benefits of her job is that she learns something new every day.
When Stephanie isn't isn’t working, she spends her time creating
stories, getting lost in books, and traveling to new places.
Short Synopsis
The Begonia House
keeps its secrets. Everyone knows that. Everyone, that is, except for
clever eleven-year-old Fairday Morrow, whose family has just moved in.
Being the Senior Investigator in the Detective Mystery Squad, more
commonly known as the DMS, she’s ready to uncover the mysteries hidden
within the strange manor. As the investigation gears up and the pieces
of the puzzle begin to fall into place, the DMS enters into a world
where anything is possible, and the danger is most definitely real.
Follow along with Fairday and her friends, as spooky meets lovely in
this twisting tale of dark secrets and hidden pasts.
Scheduled to hit bookstores everywhere in December of 2015! Brought to you by Krista Vitola at Delacorte/ Random House
