Gerald Perkins is a nondescript twenty something machine operator who leads a relatively boring life near Oxford. The one highlight in his life is his girlfriend, Joanne Barnes. The couple enjoy a strong relationship but as our story begins, they prefer not to become overly committed.

In chapter one, we see Gerald visit his grandmother, Doris’s bungalow. She contemplates moving to a flat following the death of her husband, Ambrose. She has requested that Gerald clear the attic for her in preparation for the proposed relocation. He finds a curious artefact whilst clearing and shows it to her. It is an unusual pendant. She recoils in horror at seeing it and demands that he immediately disposes of it because she is convinced that it will bring bad luck. Soon after her warning, he leaves for his home, promising to dump the curio on the way. However, he cannot bring himself to do so and takes it to his flat at The Grange, some miles away from his grandmother’s dwelling.

In chapter two when Gerald returns to The Grange, he is confronted by his unpleasant neighbour, Matthew Hoskins who has an irresistible urge to bully him, partly because of his placid nature. There is an unpleasant exchange between them, broken only by Matthew’s girlfriend, Brenda James who interrupts him just as he is getting into his stride. Reluctantly, he responds to Brenda’s call, thereby allowing Gerald to enter his flat without further hindrance. There Gerald is somewhat unnerved to see the pendant from his grandmother’s attic glowing strangely. This soon subsides and Gerald puts the incident down to a trick of the light.

Chapter three opens with Gerald’s girlfriend, Joanne Barnes, visiting him at The Grange. Their relationship is explored in this chapter and during the visit she is shown the mysterious pendant from the attic. Joanne suggests he takes it for assessment to an antique dealer and pawnbroker she knows of in Oxford.

Chapter four delves a little deeper into Matthew’s psyche revealing a little of his perverted mind including his unhealthy obsession with Joanne. We learn that he has been spying on her and Gerald during their intimate moments. Also in this chapter, his ill conceived relationship with Brenda ends.

In chapter five, Gerald visits the pawnbroker suggested by Joanne. His name is Bert Smith. The pendant is examined by him. He is a little puzzled by it and asks Gerald to return another day when his colleague, Ralph Steadman, a more specialised dealer, would have an opportunity to see it. Later, Gerald and Joanne, back at The Grange, watch Brenda’s exit as she leaves Matthew.

In chapter six Gerald is in work when he is harassed by an unpleasant foreman named Tim Howard. Gerald, who has the pendant on his person, is unusually articulate during the exchange and later, the foreman is seriously injured in an accident. Certain elements of this incident lead Gerald to believe that the pendant had some influence on matters.

Chapter seven describes a visit by Matthew to his brother, Clive. We learn of their relationship with each other and their attitude to others. Matthew spends some time at Clive’s home and the two indulge in a heavy drinking session.

In chapter eight Gerald meets Ralph Steadman who studies the pendant closely, coming to the conclusion that it is a rare and surprisingly deadly sort of charm originating in ancient times. Ralph advises Gerald, for his own safety, to place the curio in the care of a responsible body such as a museum. Gerald is reluctant to do so.

Chapter nine sees Joanne on her way to The Grange to prepare a meal for Gerald. As she nears his flat, she is intimidated by Matthew who is just returning from his visit to Clive’s home. Gerald soon returns from the antique dealers’ shop and, hearing of Matthew’s behaviour, he for the first time deliberately unleashes the pendant’s power against him. Matthew is compelled, under the influence of the pendant, to drive his van into the path of a large lorry. Joanne is shocked by his death and by Gerald’s uncharacteristic behaviour. She leaves the flat, deeply traumatised.

Chapter ten sees Gerald, who is being influenced by the pendant, trying to come to terms with a situation over which he has ever decreasing control.

In chapter eleven, Joanne who now feels threatened by Gerald seeks the help of Ralph and Bert. They agree to lie low in Ralph’s country home, to avoid Gerald who has himself suggested that he sees them as a threat to his new found power. Of course, this is a delusion created by the pendant’s influence.

Chapter twelve describes how the allies, Bert, Ralph and Joanne, set about trying to separate Gerald from the pendant.

In chapter thirteen Ralph attempts to retrieve the pendant but fails when he accidentally disturbs Gerald. He hides in the shadows where he witnesses the arrival of Clive and an acquaintance. The men are challenged by Gerald who seems to control them and causes them to race off in their vehicle, followed by Gerald in his. Grateful to escape with his life, Ralph returns home.

In chapter fourteen they discuss events at Ralph’s home and analyse their anxieties.

In chapter fifteen we see events from Gerald’s perspective as he confronts Clive and his acquaintance, forcing them to destroy themselves by crashing their vehicle into a concrete structure. We also learn how he is aware of an intrusion at The Grange, following Ralph’s unsuccessful attempt to retrieve the pendant. He decides to lay a trap as he learns that binoculars have been left in an outhouse near his flat.

Chapter sixteen sees Ralph return to The Grange to recover the binoculars, unaware that Gerald has already seen them. As he eventually gets to them, he sees Gerald heading for him. Again he is faced with acute danger and again he just manages to escape.

Chapter seventeen describes Gerald’s behaviour after a disturbing meeting with a police officer who appears to be getting close to the truth of the events. He consequently makes renewed efforts to find Joanne and the others. They are, of course, the only people who know the truth of what is going on and are therefore the only people who can tell the authorities the whole story. During his quest, he meets an antique expert named Pravin whose shop is quite near to Bert’s premises. As Gerald is persuasive and deceitful, Pravin agrees to help find Bert.

Chapter eighteen in which we learn that Pravin has not been taken in by Gerald’s deceit. Pravin phones Ralph’s home and arranges to meet them for an urgent discussion on events.

In chapter nineteen we learn more of Doris’s experiences since Ambrose brought the curio home, and Pravin turns out to be an expert on curios such as the pendant. He reveals that he has set up a trap in his shop into which he hopes to lure an unsuspecting Gerald.

In chapter twenty we follow Gerald as he searches roads around Oxford in a desperate quest to find Joanne and the others. Their hide out is almost compromised when he meets Pravin as he emerges from Ralph’s drive, following a meeting with them. Pravin manages to divert his attention and they leave the area, going separate ways but not until Pravin arranges to meet him at his shop the following morning, thus preparing a trap. Later, Gerald arranges accommodation away from The Grange, fearful that he himself may now be hunted by the authorities.

In chapter twenty one, Pravin manages to persuade Ralph to help him spring the trap on Gerald the following morning.

In chapter twenty two Ralph and Pravin wait in vain for Gerald to appear. The pair has set up an elaborate system using basic physics to defeat the pendant’s influence but for some reason, Gerald does not turn up. As time goes by, they become anxious.

In chapter twenty three, Gerald leaves his bed and breakfast accommodation only to be apprehended by men posing as police officers. He is taken to a vacant warehouse near the city where he meets a man who introduces himself as Tom Elias, a researcher who works closely with Ralph and knows of the pendant’s details. He now wants the curio and is prepared to kill Gerald in order to get it. However, Gerald manages to turn the tables on the gang and eliminates them, using the pendant.

Chapter twenty four sees Gerald belatedly arriving at Pravin’s shop where he enters the trap but something malfunctions and he gains the upper hand, threatening Pravin and forcing him to lead him to the others. However, Ralph manages to escape unnoticed.

In chapter twenty five Joanne and the others learn of Gerald’s approach and hide in a detached garage. However, they accidentally cause a noise and Gerald is attracted to the garage where he is finally struck down from behind by the much maligned Bert.

In the final chapter, Gerald, who is not badly injured, gradually emerges from the shadow of the pendant’s influence and returns to being the same old person loved by Joanne. Nothing would be officially mentioned of the tragic incidents caused by the pendant and Gerald, Joanne and the others return to their usual lives, but with the difference that Joanne and Gerald become even closer entwined and their relationship blossoms, despite the past events.

Sample Chapter

Chapter One

It was a few years ago, just after the turn of the millennium that the whole thing started. It began so innocently that no one realised that anything odd was going on, well at first they didn’t.

Cranford Grange, or The Grange as it is known locally, is a tiny hamlet consisting of a few workers’ flats, converted cottages, located a few miles from Woodstock, Oxfordshire. There’s a lane, leading off the A44, which takes you there. The lane is little used, except by the residents, it goes no further than The Grange itself.

Gerald Perkins was a twenty-five year old machine operator who worked at a factory on one of the industrial estates near Oxford. He was a resident of The Grange. Gerald was not the sort of person to stand out in a crowd, nor would he want to be. He stood about five feet nine, had close cropped dark hair and was of medium build. He had a sallow, unhealthy looking complexion and generally gave the impression of being vulnerable. His rather high- pitched voice accentuated this. Except for the most formal of occasions, he always dressed down. Some would even describe him as being rather scruffy. Quiet and unassuming, he preferred to keep himself to himself and to lead as quiet a life as possible. Sometimes this was at his own expense as people tended to take advantage of his inoffensive nature.

But Gerald’s mundane, predictable existence was soon to change. Chance was to play an extraordinary game with him, leaving him, and people who knew him, bemused and frightened. His well ordered, boring life would become but a cherished memory. It was on a Thursday evening in June that fate began to weave a strange and deadly pattern into his world.

His grandfather, Ambrose Clarke, had died a few weeks previously and his grandmother, Doris, had asked him to help clear some unwanted items from the attic of her home a couple of miles away from The Grange, in Woodstock. There were things there which had belonged to Ambrose and which she wanted to sell off or give away. She was having trouble adjusting to life without him and felt that she needed to move to a smaller property. Many things would have to go if she was to have room for her essentials in her proposed new flat. When asked, Gerald typically responded without demur to her request for help. He drove over to her place in his rusting blue Mini as soon as his shift ended at the factory. It was a pleasant, warm afternoon and he drove with the windows open, the mild air flowed over his face and through his hair.

He soon arrived at his grandmother’s place. Parking the ageing car just inside the drive of Doris’ spacious bungalow, he stepped jauntily up to the neatly painted front door, gave a sharp rap on the leaded glass and walked into the sunlit hallway. ‘Gran, where are you?’ he called. ‘It’s Gerald. I’ve just finished work and got here as soon as I could.’

‘Ah, there you are, my boy,’ said Doris emerging from the lounge to the right of the hallway. She stood before him trembling slightly, her frail legs straining to support her body, despite the fact that she carried little weight, being a small, slender woman. She wore a dark blue floral dress. Her neat white hair was tied tightly in a bun at the back of her head. She was almost eighty years of age now, her health was failing and it showed. She spoke quietly and uncertainly. ‘Thank you so much for coming over, I didn’t expect you so soon, though. You’ve just finished work so you must be famished. Let me get you something to eat. I thought you’d come over tonight, later on after dinner.’

‘Well, no. I’d rather get it sorted straight away, Gran,’ replied Gerald hastily. ‘I can call in the chippy on the way home for something. I don’t want you going out of your way to do anything for me. You tell me what you want done, then leave me get on with it. Go sit down in the lounge. God knows, you need to take it easy now what with the shock of losing Grandad and all.’

‘Whatever you prefer, boy’ she said, her voice sounded weaker these days. ‘But remember, there’s plenty for you to eat here, you know, and I don’t mind doing it for you.’

‘I know that,’ replied Gerald softly. ‘But I’ll be all right until later. You’ve got enough to see to without bothering about me.’

‘Follow me then,’ she said reluctantly, beckoning him on as she shuffled along the hallway. She stopped at the far end and pointed to a square panel in the textured ceiling. ‘There’s loads of stuff up there that needs sorting, Gerald. If you would bring it down and put it neatly along the side of the hall, I can sift through it in my own time then.’ She handed him a rod with which to push up the attic hatch and release the loft ladder. With a few deft movements he released the ladder and prepared to climb into the loft.

‘You go and sit down, Gran. I can see to this, no problem,’ he said as he began to ascend.

‘If your mother was alive to see you now, she’d be so pleased at the way you’ve turned out, my boy,’ said Doris warmly as she leaned against the wall. ‘She was always so proud of you and I must say you are a credit to her memory.’

‘Steady on, Gran,’ quipped Gerald as he paused on the ladder. ‘You’re making me blush saying things like that. I’m just doing what any grandson would. Why don’t you go into the lounge as I said? You’ll be ill standing there all the time. And, by the way, don’t you think that all this business of moving is too stressful for you? When dad moved back to Newcastle and I had that flat in The Grange I only had a few things to move but it stressed me out at the time. But you’ve got loads of stuff to sort out, I’m sure you’d be better off staying here.’

‘Maybe you’re right’ confessed Doris. ‘The more I think about it, the more worrisome it gets. But whatever I decide to do, I’ll want the attic cleared out anyway. There’s stuff in there going back years.’ She slowly returned to the lounge, Gerald squeezed through the hatch into the attic.

As he crouched at the top of the ladder, he groped around for the pull-switch which he remembered from years ago when he helped his grandfather put some items up there. After fumbling about for some minutes he felt the slender nylon cord brush his fingers. He gripped it and pulled. There were a number of erratic flashes as a fluorescent tube flickered above his head. The tube lit most of the attic space fairly evenly but some shadows were cast over the far end.

His astonished eyes scanned over a jumble of suitcases, boxes and plastic carrier bags. Undaunted, he shrugged his shoulders and began removing items nearest to the hatchway. He stepped gingerly down the ladder, grabbing some dust-covered bags in his sweaty hands. He put them carefully near the neatly painted wall of the hall. Next time he went up, he found some old rags stuffed under a joist and used them to wipe a couple of cases before lifting them out. As he worked, dust stuck in his throat and made him feel a little sick. He scrambled down the ladder and walked into the kitchen, helping himself to some water. As he returned he glanced into the lounge and saw that his grandmother appeared to have fallen asleep on the couch. He shrugged and made his way back to the attic.

He worked diligently for the next half hour or so, moving carefully, head bent. Carefully wiping off the dust, he removed everything that had been left there, half forgotten, over the years. Presently he stepped, relieved, off the ladder with the last bag in his hand. As he bent to lift the ladder back into place, he decided to have one last look around in case he’d missed something. As his feet creaked on the rungs of the ladder, a movement beside him caught his eye. It was Doris, standing bleary-eyed, leaning against the lounge door.

‘Why, Gran,’ he uttered. ‘I hope I didn’t disturb you. I noticed you were asleep earlier and tried not to make too much noise.’

‘Goodness me!’ she exclaimed looking at the items stacked in the hall. ‘You have been so busy. Gosh, how long have I been asleep? Look at all this stuff. You must be just about finished up there already.’

‘That’s right. I’m going to have another look around in case I’ve missed something, and then I’ll be right down. I didn’t wake you, did I?’

‘No, of course not,’ she reassured him. ‘It was rude of me to go to sleep when you were here anyhow. I shouldn’t have done it.’

He scrambled back up the ladder and, looking through the hatch, he peered through the dust particles swimming in the stark fluorescent light. Seeing nothing of interest, he was just about to step back down when a faint reflection at the far end of the loft caught his eye. He stepped fully into the attic and, crouching as he went, he approached an object which he hadn’t previously noticed.

He stooped low and his fingers clasped around a small tin box, rusting in places but with the remnants of a colourful illustration on the lid. As he put it into a pocket of his jeans, he felt something bulky slide within it. Curiosity got the better of him and he withdrew it from his pocket and fumbled with the lid, which was sealed with rust. After prising with his hardened fingernails for some minutes, he succeeded in opening it.

His eyes widened as he looked inside and beheld a heavily built yellowish-brown metallic pendant, which gleamed dully in the harsh light. The design was an inverted triangle set within a circular framework. There was an eyelet at the top. The pendant seemed to be from one solid casting, there were no joints or seams visible. He took it from the tin and held it in his hand, feeling the substantial weight as he turned it around, marvelling at the fine workmanship with which it was made. He replaced it and, holding the tin box in his hand, he stumbled back to the hatch. He carefully descended the rather shaky ladder and stood facing Doris who had been rummaging through some of the items in the hall.

‘I found this tin up there,’ he announced, holding the box before her. ‘There was something sliding about inside and I opened it because it felt so heavy for its size. I know I shouldn’t have. Hope you don’t mind, Gran.’

‘Well aren’t you going to show me what’s inside?’ she insisted. ‘Go on, open it again, my boy. There are things here which I didn’t know we had,’ she said gesturing to the items in the hall. ‘And that tin box, it certainly looks familiar but I can’t remember what was put in there.’

He opened the lid again. This time it took much less effort and he tilted it towards her to give her a clear look inside.

As she focused her feeble eyes on the object, she recoiled, visibly startled. ‘Oh, my God,’ she gasped, clasping her hands against her chest. Gerald, shocked at her reaction, stepped forward to steady and comfort her.

‘What’s wrong, Gran?’ he asked, worried lest she had suffered some form of heart attack. As he spoke he guided her into the lounge and eased her on to the couch. ‘I’ll get you some water,’ he murmured, rushing to the kitchen. When he returned he saw that she had recovered much of her composure and was sitting upright, reaching out for the tumbler of water.

‘I didn’t want to startle you, Gerald,’ she declared. ‘It, it’s just that I didn’t expect to see that thing ever again.’ Her voice was so hoarse and weak that Gerald had to bend near her mouth to hear.

‘Are you all right, Gran?’ he pleaded. ‘I was afraid you were having a nasty turn then.’

‘Yes, yes, I’ll be all right. But there’s something you must do for me,’ she insisted.

‘But of course,’ he affirmed.

‘I want you to get rid of that thing,’ her forefinger trembled as she indicated the tin that Gerald had hastily resealed. ‘Promise me that you will throw it on the rubbish tip as soon as you can. You must do it today. It will only take you a few minutes.’

‘Well, if you insist, Gran,’ he said, stunned by her reaction. ‘Does the pendant bring back some bad memories or what?’ he asked cautiously.

‘Worse than that!’ she asserted. ‘It can make bad things happen. I know.’

‘But it’s only a pendant,’ protested Gerald. ‘Surely it can’t make anything happen, good or bad.’

‘It has made bad things happen. Here in this house, I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes. I beg you not to take my words lightly, your grandfather was supposed to have destroyed it many years ago. You must get rid of it or it will bring nothing but problems, listen to me.’

‘But what happened? You never mentioned it to me before.’

‘Grandad wouldn’t allow me to tell anyone about it in case we were laughed at. I think he was afraid even to talk about it in the end. You see, he brought it home from the pub one night. Said he’d won it in a card game. It was supposed to be a lucky charm,’ she smiled ironically. ‘A lucky charm. That was a joke! Grandad fell ill soon after he brought it home. He had a fever which lasted for days. It baffled the doctors; no one knew what to do for him. He wouldn’t respond to treatment at all.’

‘But that could have happened anyway,’ Gerald averred. ‘It was a fever, nothing to do with that thing.’

‘Don’t you believe it, my boy. That was just the start. There were many things that went wrong. I shan’t tell you about it now, but you must get rid of it. We were not free of the evil until Grandad hid it away. I thought he had thrown it. That’s what I told him to do, but of course we now know that he put it in the attic. Well, at least it did no harm when it was up there. Now, no more questions. Just get rid of it, please.’

Gerald scratched his head in bewilderment. ‘Well, if you insist, then that is what I’ll do. But I think it is all a lot of nonsense.’ He picked up the tin and made for the front door.

‘I’ll be on my way now, Gran,’ he said over his shoulder as she stood nervously in the hall. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll deal with this thing.’ He patted the tin to emphasise his words, opened the tight fitting door with a sharp tug and stepped on to the gravel of the well-kept drive. His shoes crunched on the loose chippings as he walked quickly to his car.

‘Don’t forget what I told you, and come to see me again soon!’ her voice cracked as she strained to make herself heard, her words thin and feeble, barely audible in the open air. He turned and nodded reassuringly. Then, opening the creaking door of the Mini, he slipped into the seat and was soon on his way. Pensively, his grandmother watched him leave, and then she shut the door of her bungalow and locked it.

As he drove slowly through the gateway of her drive, he pondered over her words. He looked at the tin now set firmly on the passenger seat beside him and wondered. He knew her to be a level-headed person who was in full control of her senses despite her advancing years. Therefore there had to be some substance to her concerns about the pendant, but he surmised that she had probably been involved in some rather unpleasant coincidences soon after she and Ambrose had originally acquired the pendant, nothing more. There couldn’t be any other explanation, he concluded.

As he turned the car towards The Grange he knew that he would soon be driving past the large corporation rubbish dump that she had referred to. But, the closer he got to the entrance to the dump, the more reluctant he became to simply throw away what he was beginning to see as a potentially interesting historical object.

Presently he slowed near the entrance to the dump, but suddenly accelerated down the road as, at that point, he had made up his mind to ignore his grandmother’s wishes and elected to keep the pendant, at least for the time being.