Dear Diary,

We went to the bush but it was just a bush and the thorny place had gone! We kept trying but it didn’t come back and then we had an idea that maybe it would be back at the same times we had seen it before. We were right and so me and Jase went into the thorn place but we couldn’t cut any thorns and they fought back and so we couldn’t get rich. We heard music though and so we went deeper in and there was that weird man Jase saw before and there was a whole fayre of weird people selling things and I bought a book. I didn’t have any money but the man gave it to me for free in exchange for looking at my neckalace that Jase made but when he gave it back it cutted me but I think it was an accident.

We did some other stuff but I forgot.

Later on the other came and we showed them the bushes and went into the thorny place. But the bushes were really far away this time and we could see the park still but all grey and then invisible thorns started scratching us and it was scary and cold and it started snowing! Then a creepy voice told us it was safe to come but I didn’t like it and so we went.

My book is so cool it has weird poems and stuff about spirits and something called the Spring Court. I wonder if there is a Spring Judge with a silly wig?

Dear Diary,

Lots of stuff happened this week. There was the fire at the school. Everyone thinks Manny did it but I don’t think so. Then again, he is mean all the time. I invited Jason over to my place for tea but he had to go home because dad wouldn’t let him stay over. Also we went to the park and played with that kid that broke that guys face’s dog and I kinda made him run into that nasty whiney girl Eleanor by accident but it was kinda funny anyway.

We found stuff in a bush and that some bad kids Jason knew were in. It was gross in there and there was slimy, smelly stuff there and Jason said he saw some thorns and a little man but I didn’t see anything. He is a bit weird after all but now I know better. We found some paper that said something like bloody mary on it and I didn’t know what it meant but Eleanor was scared and told me about a silly story about saying it 3 times in the mirror. I think that’s all silly stuff for little girls and babies. I’m too old to be scared by that stuff, I am 8 after all.

On Saturday I went to the park after having breakfast with dad. Jason was there and he wanted to look at that bush again. He also told me he didn’t go home yesterday but went camping by himself! He’s really cool! We looked in that bush again and I saw those silver spiky bushes and got one stuck in my hand and it really hurt! We went and got a plaster and the nice lady at the store gave me a lollypop and David bought us all mini-milks! Jason promised to show us his camp so we went there but it smelled weird like the hobo man in the park. Jason wanted to find him but I said we shouldn’t talk to strangers. But David and Jason said we’d be okay because there were 3 of us so I went with them. We showed the hobo man the silver thorn thingy and he did some weird stuff and growled a lot and it was strange but he have it back. Jason also had made it into a necklace like a sharks tooth which was cool. The hobo man said it was real silver so I said to Jason we should go and try and cut off some more of them. Dad might have shears and gloves so we wont hurt ourselves and with all that silver we’d be like mega-gazillionaires!

Then Eleanor and Manny and Marcus turned up and Marcus was all burned and Manny was all beat up. We wanted to keep the silver bushes our secret so I lured them away by playing IT and then we all went home.

I’m going to be super-rich tomorrow!

Dear Diary,

Everyone ended up following me to the fireworks display. I just sat and watched the fireworks and tried not to pay any attention to the others, hoping that maybe they’d go away. But then some other kids started making fun of Jason and then they wanted his money! And Jason hit him!

He probably should have got an adult, which is what I did. There were lots of council people in jackets and stuff and so I went and got some before someone got hurt. I don’t mind fighting to defend myself or others but these were all big kids.

When I got back things weren’t good. Jason looked okay but the weird kid that had followed be to the park had gone all kung-fu on the gang and they looked really hurt! It was kinda scary. The council guy called the police and they came and took everyone away and took statements and I rode in a police car. At least some of the other kids didn’t fight, like that girl Eleanor and the friend of Jason’s. I hope they didn’t get in too much police trouble. The police said that I was a real good kid and told me dad and everything. I’m so cool!

The next day at lunch I went to find the others to ask about what had happened when I went to get help. Eleanor wouldn’t talk to me though or even admit she was there. She was being all girly and lying and mean and I told her so but her stinky girly friends just called me names and wouldn’t listen so I went to find Jason instead. He didn’t say much but that’s kind of what Jason does. He also had a HUGE black eye I asked him if he got it during the fight and he said he got it after. I asked him about that too but he said I wouldn’t understand. I’m not just a kid I can know stuff too. Just because he’s bigger than me don’t make him smarter. He didn’t get the police, so nahhhhh. I told him that I told the police that the gang started the fight but he seemed all sad and far away again after talking about his eye.

Dear diary,

I thought I’d start keeping a diary today after the teacher mentioned it in English class. I guess it’s okay.

Today was really lame. I got put in detention with a bunch of older kids. They were all mean and stupid and I don’t like any of them. I hope I don’t get detention again. It wasn’t even my fault, I was helping some other kids because they were getting bullied and so I hit the bully and I got told off! Lame!

Man, at least I got out of there quickly, the others couldn’t keep quiet. That weird kid Jason even started singing! I don’t think he wanted to go home, but I didn’t ask. He’s strange and scary and old. The only boy there my age was that weird little thug kid that smokes and swears and burns things. He even swore at the teacher!

After I had my tea I went to Rockley Park to explore and play Spies. Those kids from detention were there and they were fighting again. They are meant to be older and more grown up and stuff but they are only more dumb and mean I think. That Jason boy was there and seemed real sad, but I didn’t want to say anything in case he did anything weird.

I tried to stop them from fighting and then Jason was all weird at us all and this smelly hairy man came along and said he knew Jason! He said there were fireworks on the Quay and I completely forgot about it. I didn’t want to hang around with all those stupidheads anyway so I ran to the Quay so I wouldn’t miss anything but they followed me.

I hope they don’t bully me tomorrow. I’ll show them if they do – Dad taught me some fighting stuff last weekend and I’ve been practising some cool moves from Street Fighter II and I’ll kick their asses!

Maybe I’ll try and make friends with Jason tomorrow, he’s weird and strange but everyone leaves him alone so maybe they wont bother me either if I hang around with him. I wonder why he is so sad all the time.

In a world where Beasts Could and Are living under your bed, Vampires and Werewolves Stalk why is it that your the only people that can see them? Why wont mum and dad Belive you? What if that story that grany kepps telling you about the Woman in that pub who bricked up the twinns in the annex is true? A troupe of Intrepid Young adventures are About to find out and start the long journey in to the darkness. An event that will change there lives and there perceptions of the world around them forever. Will All Be Lost?