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"Of course I have nightmares-who doesn’t?"

I brushed Misery off with that line, but it followedI live a couple of miles outside Carcery Vale, in a h, filled with antiques and mystical knick-knacks It was once the property of a tyrant called Lord Sheftree, a char up babies into little pieces and feeding thes to my uncle, Dervish Grady-as rich as Lord Sheftree, much more powerful, but without any of the nasty habits

Dervish is et hoa bite Chicken and bacon Yum!

Dervish looks much the sarey around the sides A tight grey beard which he shaved off a year or so ago but has grown back Piercing blue eyes Dressed all in denim The only real difference is his expression His face is more lined than it used to be, and he has the look of aWhich he is

"Bill-E said he ht come over this weekend," I tell hi He knows things aren’t the sauess he doesn’t think there’s any point-nothing he says could fix the situation It’s best for adults to keep out of things like this It’s widely accepted that we can’t solve their problems, so I’ll never understand why so many of them think they can solve ours

I tell Dervish about my session with Misery He’s only uy," he says, "but not ets too inquisitive, let me know and I’ll have a word"

"It’ll be a cold day in hell when I can’t handle the likes of Misery Mauch myself," I snort

"Oh Grubbs, you’re sohis eyelids

"Get stuffed!" I grunt

We laugh and finish our sandwich

"Of course I have nightet the dah ho through a wrestling hththter, a universe of webs and comet-sized et to bed about 11:30, fairly normal for me, but sleep doesn’t come easily And when it does

I’m in my bedroom at home-my first home Blood seeps from the eyes of the football players in the posters on my walls, but that doesn’t bother me Gret walks in She’s been split in tn the back Guts trail behind her A de’s body but a crocodile’s head is chewing on the entrails

"Dad wants you," Gret says

"Am I in trouble?" I ask

"Not as hs

Down the corridor to Mum and Dad’s rooht the heat and fear A few tears trickle down my cheeks as my hand rests on the doorknob, the way they always do I knohat I’ Lord Loss I don’t want to open the door, but of course I do, and everything happens the way it did that night when my world first collapsed

The scene shifts and I’ at the walls, seeing iinary demons everywhere I look Then one of the walls fades It turns into a barrier of webs Dervish picks his way through them "I know demons are real," he says "I can help you"

"Help me escape?" I sob

"No" He holds up a mirror and I see that I’ve turned into a olf "Help you die," he snarls and swings at my neck with an axe

I kick the covers off and roll out of bed I hit the floor hard and scra uncle Then , I push myself toLooks like I won’t be getting any decent sleep tonight either

My T-shirt and boxers are soaked through with sweat I change, pop to the bathrooo on a wander of thethe warren of corridors and roo no harm can befall me This house is protected by powerful spells

Creeping through the old restored part of the o back and get my slippers I find myself in the newer section, an eyesore which was tacked on to the original shell when it was uninhabitable Dervish keeps talking about deot round to it yet