Gavin and the Gargoyle

By David Thornhill

Gavin is a lonely boy who plays alone in a creepy old churchyard, where his bullies fear to tread. When a mysterious old tinker is chased out of the village and one of his ‘magic potion’ bottles lands in the churchyard, Gavin soon finds himself face-to-face with a leering 200-year-old gargoyle. The ancient stone creature will change life for Gavin – and the cruel bullies – forever.

No matter what our age, we’ve all had moments when we felt isolated or alone. Some, like Gavin, are pushed around because they look different to others. And for anyone who has been bullied or made to feel isolated, it is heartening to see cruel bullies get their comeuppance. When this lonely boy meets an ugly stone gargoyle, it is not only their loneliness at an end – but also payback time!

A beautifully descriptive tale full of magic and fun that will charm children (and adults) of all ages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Thornhill
• Release date: Dec 22, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301196135

David Thornhill

I have been writing children's stories since I was a child myself (over 25 years ago!) After several years concentrating on screenwriting, I've once again got the bug for telling children's tales – some of which would ironically make great short animated films. I would describe these as traditional children's stories, with love and friendship winning out over cruelty and dishonesty. We sadly live in a world where the latter seem inescapable at times. However, I truly believe that traditional stories with such beautiful values can make a difference and remind children of the important things in life. I grew up influenced by stories like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which were magical but also showed the value of honesty and selflessness. In my own small way, I hope I am able to do the same in my work.

Book preview

Gavin and the Gargoyle

By David Thornhill

Copyright David Thornhill 2012

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Table of contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

A note from the author

* * * * * * * *

Chapter 1

It was a fine, sunny day and a small boy was sat on a grassy riverbank throwing bread to the group of ducks which had gathered in the sparkling water below. He was dressed in tired-looking old clothes, though it was noticeable he wore them as smartly as he could – unlike most children of his age. They were old clothes but he wore them with pride.

He showed the same amount of care in breaking the bread, making sure each duck got a fair share. But the bread was soon exhausted and the ducks finally swam away. As the glistening water calmed again, his face became clearly reflected. He had pale skin and mousy coloured hair, but the most striking thing about his face was the large scar that ran down the right side of his face. This was Gavin, who got the scar as a baby in the terrible fire which claimed the lives of his parents.

Gavin watched the retreating ducks and looked back at his reflection with sadness. The water was gently disturbed once more as one little duck paddled back and hailed him with a hungry quack. A gentle smile broke on Gavin’s face as he dug some crumbs from his pocket and leaned down to feed the friendly little bird.

But suddenly – splash!! Something plunged heavily into the water, making the duck fly away with a frightened squawk. Gavin jumped back in fright, drenched by the water. He quickly shook his arms to stop it soaking into his coat, then peered over the edge to see what it was.

There was suddenly laughter on the other side of the riverbank. He looked up to see a handful of boys thirty yards away across the river, partly hidden by bushes. They pointed fingers and shouted insults at Gavin as they laughed uncontrollably.

Quasimodo got wet! The bells! Gavin the goblin! they shouted, accompanied by cruel laughter.

Gavin recognised them as the bullies from school; it was always the same four boys: Tony and Toby Turner, Ray and Eddie. Gavin didn’t have any friends but at least the other children left him alone. Those four bullies seemed to take delight in making Gavin’s life as hard as possible. They called him Quasimodo after the deformed bellringer in the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. It was a cruel jibe they shouted whenever they saw him.

Gavin looked across the river at them with deep sadness in his eyes but didn’t dare shout anything back. He just wanted to be left alone in peace but the bullies wouldn’t allow it.

He wrung out some of the water from his shirt, tucked it back in his pants and turned to walk back down the path into the village. The bullies continued to mercilessly taunt him.

Scarface even scares the ducks away! one shouted, as another launched more stones in the water behind him.

Gavin trudged sadly home as their cruel jibes rang out even louder behind him. It was an all-too-familiar experience for the boy, though he was relieved that at least this time the bullies could only hurt him with words. After years of name-calling and abuse, he could just about handle that. What he couldn’t stand were the physical attacks and, even worse, the cruel comments about his poor Mum and Dad.

Chapter 2

Gavin followed the path from the river onto the old lane which wound downhill before crossing the small humpback bridge into the village. Gavin walked over the old stone bridge and noticed the ducks had gathered again on the sparkling water beneath.

He turned onto the cobbled main street of the village and was met by a colourful sight. It was market day and there were stalls of all descriptions dotted along the cobbles. The stalls were flanked by shops, which had displays of brightly coloured goods and boasted special offers to compete with the market traders. The whole street bustled with people from all over the county and both the stalls and shops seemed to be doing a roaring trade.

Gavin walked between ranks of stalls, selling fruit, flowers, sweets, cakes, fish, books, perfumes and even small pets. But he wasn’t interested even in cute puppies today and held his head low as he quietly made his way home through the market.

Something suddenly caught Gavin’s eye as he passed the last few stalls. There was a small, rickety wooden stall which was completely different to all the others. Stood behind it was a strange-looking but cheery old man, loudly trying to drum up custom with what sounded like poems and even songs – though Gavin was too far away to make out the words.

Gavin walked closer and saw that the man wore a multi-coloured patchwork suit. Like Gavin’s clothes, it had seen better days but was still