The Almost One

By David Stevens

The wishing well is an ancient doorway to a world so old that human kind has forgotten that it exists. This is the story of a child kept physically restrained by an ancient evil magic, and held captive by a witch coven in the service of a dark and malignant evil. An evil that was sealed away from the Earth and the land of fairy long before humankind with its belching pollution took over the Earth, and caused the separation of their world, from the world of fairy.
The child has never aged throughout the years of her detention by the coven. Beneath the house in which her body is being held captive, is a prison vortex. A swirling black cage of ancient magic, which contains a single creature. A creature that is so despicable that it must forever be held in captivity. All that stands between it and freedom is the child; a child that time has come to know as The Almost One.
Long in the distant past when magic ruled the world, this child stepped forward to volunteer to become the guardian of the evil, throughout all time. As the years passed with little or no change, she relaxed slightly into her role, which was to prove to be a mistake, as it left her vulnerable to outside forces.
Hundreds of year before this adventure began, but thousands after the girl took up residence over the prisoner, the child became a captive and was herself imprisoned, by long dead members of the witch community. They hold her body captive, sealed within a house, located above the abyss she guards, but they do not control her spirit; to protect herself and contain the prisoner. The child deliberately separated her spirit from her captive body, Now that spirit stands guard over the entrance to the vortex, thwarting every attempt by the prisoner to break out of his containment. As the years pass, the evil gets stronger and more desperate, whilst the spirit form of the girl grows weaker because of her separation.
In the house above the vortex, unknown to any of the coven that reside there, the physical entity that is the Almost One, is slowly weakening. Should her body pass over into death, then the spirit must follow, and the entity contained will then be free once more to ravage the world and with no one remaining to restrain its rage.
The child needs assistance, she needs to be saved, so that she can continue to keep everyone safe from her prisoner. Knowing that she had instigated a plan, a plea to the outside world for help, her spirit reached out and selected two children in whom to place her trust. She had drawn them out of their own world, to face the challenge of saving and unifying her body and spirit in another world.
The two children, Jonathon (a teenager) and Emily (aged ten) must find their way to her, one must understand and then use the key she has provided to unify the spirit with the body.
To succeed the children must somehow discover a way to erase the coven's power over the guardian child's body. Either on their own Earth or in the land of Fairy, and then free the Child's spirit, allowing the unification, for the first time in centuries. Only then can the power of both joined be used to protect the lives of all, and ensure captivity for the evil and protection for the innocent.
There is much in the world of fairy that will threaten them, but also assistance and friendship await the children as they entered into a real adventure, and face real dangers, with horrendous consequences to them and mankind, if they fail to rescue the Almost One.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Stevens
• Release date: Oct 29, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310460296

David Stevens

Dr David Stevens is generally regarded as one of the world's leading project strategists, particularly in value management, value engineering, risk management, partnering, project alliancing and strategic planning.His academic qualifications include three Masters degrees MEng (Hons); MSc (Environmental Psychology); MA (Literature); and a PhD, (Psychology). The framework and theoretical basis for his facilitation techniques are derived from his specialisation as an organisational psychologist. He is a member of the Australian Psychological Society. Dr Stevens was an Adjunct Professor at the School of Engineering and Industrial Design at the University of Western Sydney for ten years (1999 – 2009). He has acted as an external examiner of doctoral level theses. He has authored 7 books, one of which is a major international text published by McGraw Hill. He has held several board positions and has been Chairman of an Australian Standards Committee.

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The Almost One.

(A tale of magic for all ages)

By David Stevens

Copyright © 2014 David Stevens

Distributed by Smashwords

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Dedication

To my daughter who helped write the original tale whilst sitting in the garden during the school holidays, and my wife for the encouragement and to all the fine people who have contributed to make this book the wonderful tale it has become. Many thanks to you all.

David Stevens

CONTENTS

Prologue

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

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

PROLOGUE

The wishing well is an ancient doorway to a world so old that human kind has forgotten that it exists. This is the story of a child kept physically restrained by an ancient evil magic, and held captive by a witch coven in the service of a dark and malignant evil. An evil that was sealed away from the Earth and the land of fairy long before humankind with its belching pollution took over the Earth, and caused the separation of their world, from the world of fairy.

The child has never aged throughout the years of her detention by the coven. Beneath the house in which her body is being held captive, is a prison vortex. A swirling black cage of ancient magic, which contains a single creature. A creature that is so despicable that it must forever be held in captivity. All that stands between it and freedom is the child; a child that time has come to know as The Almost One.

Long in the distant past when magic ruled the world, this child stepped forward to volunteer to become the guardian of the evil, throughout all time. As the years passed with little or no change, she relaxed slightly into her role, which was to prove to be a mistake, as it left her vulnerable to outside forces.

Hundreds of year before this adventure began, but thousands after the girl took up residence over the prisoner, the child became a captive and was herself imprisoned, by long dead members of the witch community. They hold her body captive, sealed within a house, located above the abyss she guards, but they do not control her spirit; to protect herself and contain the prisoner. The child deliberately separated her spirit from her captive body, Now that spirit stands guard over the entrance to the vortex, thwarting every attempt by the prisoner to break out of his containment. As the years pass, the evil gets stronger and more desperate, whilst the spirit form of the girl grows weaker because of her separation.

In the house above the vortex, unknown to any of the coven that reside there, the physical entity that is the Almost One, is slowly weakening. Should her body pass over into death, then the spirit must follow, and the entity contained will then be free once more to ravage the world and with no one remaining to restrain its rage.

The child needs assistance, she needs to be saved, so that she can continue to keep everyone safe from her prisoner. Knowing that she had instigated a plan, a plea to the outside world for help, her spirit reached out and selected two children in whom to place her trust. She had drawn them out of their own world, to face the challenge of saving and unifying her body and spirit in another world.

The two children, Jonathon (a teenager) and Emily (aged ten) must find their way to her, one must understand and then use the key she has provided to unify the spirit with the body.

To succeed the children must somehow discover a way to erase the coven's power over the guardian child's body. Either on their own Earth or in the land of Fairy, and then free the Child's spirit, allowing the unification, for the first time in centuries. Only then can the power of both joined be used to protect the lives of all, and ensure captivity for the evil and protection for the innocent.

There is much in the world of fairy that will threaten them, but also assistance and friendship await the children as they entered into a real adventure, and face real dangers, with horrendous consequences to them and mankind, if they fail to rescue the Almost One.

THE ALMOST ONE

An introduction.

Once upon a time there was.... So a Fairy story might begin, but this is no nice Fairy story! It is a doorway to a most ancient history and one that threatens the existence of all life on the worlds of both Fairy and man.

Now, just so you understand, you have entered into an adventure, the like of which you will never experience again. I will attempt to guide you where I can as best as I am able but as to the outcome there are no guarantees that I can give to you. Only you can chose to enter into this conflict and only you can set the pace for yourself.

CHAPTER 1

There was an old round stone wishing well placed centrally in the middle of a lawn, which is part of the garden of a very old thatch roofed cottage. The well is quite small as wishing wells go, but like the cottage, it is obviously very, very old. In fact it is so old that no one can remember it being built. It had always according to the gardener who visited once a week been there, placed just so in the garden.

Reach your fingers down to the base of the wishing well and count up one brick layer from the grass, and you will see a small oval shaped hole in the wishing wells brickwork.

If you could shrink to a very tiny size, just like Alice did to get into Wonderland, you would make a wonderful discovery and receive a big surprise. If you then entered into that oval and were to walk forward for two inches or ten feet, depending on your size, you would come to a set of stairs, which spiral downwards through the stones of the wishing well.

If you were to walk on down, step by step for exactly ninety-three, separate, old, worn, stone steps. You would find yourself nose up to an old, solid, but well worn, oak door. Knock on that door, but be ready for your adventure.

Knock, knock nockety knock you might rap. If you're very lucky, and everything was just right the door might, if it wants too, swing open and let you into someplace that there is no other way for you to get into.

As the last echo of your knock fades away, and if you had been very lucky you might have heard a loud creaking cracking sound, quickly followed by a loud bang and thick smoke billowing around the door frame. That was what might have happened if the door had decided to open up for you and to let you in. You would now be at the point where you have to decided if you dare to enter.

Now reader just something that you need to know and remember, as I show you the great secret, for that is what I am about to share with you. A great secret, a very ancient secret. Be warned, coming through this door with me will open your eyes, delight your senses and teach you a lot more about yourself than perhaps you might wish to know or accept.

Now! Is the time, if ever there was a time for you to think about whether you really want to enter, or perhaps. If you do not want to, may I suggest that you just close the cover on this book, put it down somewhere you will not keep seeing it, and go and do something totally different, instead.

I won't mind, I won't even really care, honestly, the decision is totally yours, so decided, once and for all time, everything you are or might become depends on now, right this second, NOW!

To help you make your decision, that is if you are really interested I could tell you the story of two previous visitors summoned through my door, and what happened to them, once I opened up and they decided to enter. Would you like me to? Read on if you would, Ok just turn the first page over and see what has been before you, not that is to say that it will be the same again for you, you understand, You do understand don't you?

A Tale Begins.

July the 11th. 1926

The year is 1926, the great war is long past and the second world war is far in the future, or so it would seem to Jonathon, Thomas, James, Cliff and his sister Emily. When they were very much older and looking back over their adventures together, inside of the old wishing well in the grounds of the very old cottage in which they lived.

I am going to interrupt this story, to tell you for the last time, that if you are not very brave then you should immediately put this book down, close the pages, shut the cardboard cover and go and do something less dangerous instead. Hummm for instance, something like tidying up your bedroom or practicing your writing, but of course it is totally up to you, if you want to read on then do so, but you must remember, that I warned you!!!

Jonathon was bored, very very bored, so bored that he was sitting on the low wall which made up the wishing well in the garden of the cottage, which he and his sister Emily called home. They had not lived at, 'this place in the country', their mothers description of the cottage, for very long. A quick count and Jonathon came up with the figure of seventeen days since they had moved in. Emily was crawling on her knees below him, prodding and poking at the grass that grew up all around the base of the wishing well. She must be as bored as I am he thought, looking down at her, or why else would she be kneeling in the damp grass? She knew that mother would be quite cross if she mucked up her new dress before they went out to the Giles's for tea.

Jonathon reached up to his neck and tugged half-heartedly at the new tie, which was knotted around his neck, choking him or so he would have anyone who would listen believe; no one would listen or believe him. He hated wearing ties, and he hated having to go out for tea, although Mr and Mrs Giles were always very nice to them. Unfortunately they had a son and he was not so nice, not at all in any way. The thought of an afternoon spent with him made Jonathon cringe and almost want to throw himself down the wishing well, but then strawberries and ice-cream came to his rescue.

J, look what I have found, called Emily from between his legs, interrupting his thoughts.

Come and look at this, she repeated quite determinedly, so much so that he jumped down from the wall; just clearing her head to land on the grass. He stood up turned around and looked down at his still kneeling sister as she parted the thick grass. Her head could not get any closer to the wishing wells base if she tried, she looked quite funny to Jonathon as she knelt staring, her bottom stuck right up in the air.

Look John. She twisted her head around and up to look at him, imploring him to join her and look. Glancing down he saw for the first time that her fingers were parting the grass revealing a neat oval shaped hole. His boredom vanished as his interest increased. He got down next to Emily pulling at the grass to clear it away from the hole she had uncovered, much to her annoyance. She had not wanted to damage the grass and now he had torn great tufts of it out of the soil. At least she thought, 'we can now see the oval hole much better.'

Now that he was closer and the grass was gone, he could clearly see a dark oval hole cutting into the mortar between the bricks. It was about two and a half inches from top to bottom and about two inches from side to side. It seemed to go straight into the stone of the wall and for a very long way, which of course he knew was impossible as the wishing wells wall was not very thick. He had been sitting on it so he should know. Therefore the hole could not go half as far as it appeared too, that would be silly he reasoned, in fact that would be impossible.

Jonathon stood up and leant over the well top looking down inside of the wishing well looking for the hole. There was not a hole, not even a mark where a hole could be, He reached out rubbing his fingers along the inside of the well feeling for a hole, there just wasn't one, there should be he reasoned, but there was not!

Pushing himself upright he suddenly felt that he had been very dumb, he realised that if the hole had gone all the way through the well wall, then they would have been able to see daylight through it, and they hadn't. It was pitch black inside of the hole or it had been when he looked. He crouched down next to his sister once more and looked hard inside of the little tunnel again. It was still black, no daylight, so no hole through the brick, which meant that it could not be very deep really. He poked two fingers inside of the hole, feeling the wall on the inside, it was surprisingly smooth, almost polished and about the same diameter as the entrance for as far as he could reach in with his fingers. He felt his boredom returning and quite fast, the hole was just that, a boring hole no matter how smooth it was.

Mrs Carol Anne Formby-Cliff more commonly called mother, was stood patiently waiting for her two children to put in an appearance. Hoping silently to herself that the children would look as presentable as they had when she last saw them, heading as they were out into the garden, much to her surprise they almost did. Jonathon's tie was a little askew and Emily's dress crumpled slightly, but they were simple things to put right. The muddy knees of her daughter she noticed would need a quick scrub also, but other than that all seemed well.

Eight-thirty that evening found Jonathon and Emily less formally dressed and again sitting by the Wishing well, again looking into the oval shaped hole at its base and wondering, what if anything the hole was there for?

I wish that we could see further into this hole, said Jonathon to Emily, poking his fingers inside of the oval, for the tenth time at least. Then faster than either of them could blink an eye, the hole in front of them expanded, it grew and grew until it was big enough for them both to stand up inside of. Still the oval grew, until the ovals ceiling was clearly two whole feet above their heads.

Emily gasped and grabbed at Jonathon's arm, pulling herself closer to him, hanging onto him very tightly as the hole that had been small, stretched until it formed a long dark tunnel. Both children were on their feet, both staring into the dark, trying to see deeper and trying to believe that what they saw was indeed real.

As they stood at the entry to the tunnel, each frozen in amazement they could only watch as the dirty blackness faded, the tunnel walls seemed to them to come alive. Tiny pin-pricks of silver flashed within the stone, creating a hazy flitting light, which they could just see by. Once their eyes had adjusted to the dimness, and now that they could see better, both of them noticed that the tunnel seemed to end at a blank wall. Jonathon walked slowly forward pulling Emily inside of the new tunnel with him, he had no choice but to take her inside, as she would not let go of his arm.

Closer and closer they walked towards the blank wall, all around them the pinpricks of light flashed in the stone, lighting their way forwards. A new brighter flashing light began to pulse in the stone, drawing their attention. This new light was not scattered all through the stone but was concentrated, end to end, creating a thick line at one side of the tunnel and getting thinner as it crossed the back wall; something like an arrow indicating the way forward.

Jonathon found that his eyes automatically followed the thinning light line. Together, very intrigued he walked closer, entering deeper into the tunnel and of course taking Emily in with him, because she still would not let go of his arm. As they neared the rear wall the light appeared to bend towards the floor! Jonathon followed it with his eyes and there before him, lit by the glow, was a smooth stone step, and below it he could see another and yet another. Each of the steps led deeper into the ground.

We are inside of the wishing well! he said in awe.

That's just impossible! Emily had found her voice, the one that she thought she had lost, when she first saw the wishing well tunnel expanding.

Impossible or not Jonathon and Emily were standing at the top most step of a staircase which spiraled down away from them. As elsewhere the new passage was dimly lit by glowing particles of light glowing within the walls and even in the steps of the stairs.

Hello reader, as obviously you chose to read on and experience the adventure that awaits you; there are things that you should clearly understand. Firstly, both Jonathon and Emily had lost their father. He had been tragically killed during the great war of 1914/1918. He had been a Captain in charge of a troop of men that had been completely wiped out by enemy fire or so their mother had been told.

Jonathon liked to hope that when he was old enough, that he, like his father might join up and be both brave and courageous, just as his father had been.

In reality and up to the moment that Jonathon began stepping down the spiraling stairway, he had never been forced to confront real danger. Yes, he had suffered his share of accidents, ranging from trips to falls, but they were not real danger, were they dear reader?

You can imagine Jonathan's surprise when Emily, little ten year old Emily let go of his arm and confidently stepped away and down from him, almost skipping down the stone steps of the spiraling staircase. She counted aloud as she went, one, two, three and would have continued counting out, but when She got to three Jonathon realised that she was gone and quickly followed her and caught her up before she reached five. Together they descended, having already started down the stairway.

Hold on a minute, he called out just as Emily counted stair five. Jonathon slipped past her taking the lead, mostly because he felt slightly embarrassed because Emily had started down the stairs before him. Perhaps he rushed on down slightly faster than otherwise he would have, just so she could not see his face in the gloom. Which, had he thought about it, he would have known was unnecessary, let alone an unsafe thing to do!

A word of advice for you dear reader.

Never rush up or down stairs, falling hurts quite a lot as you will quickly find out if you do.

Jonathon slowed his pace until he finally stopped, he looked back watching Emily descend, she was still counting each step that she took. He continued on but cautiously now to the bottom.

Ninety, ninety-one, ninety-two She counted out approaching him slowly down the stairs, lit up, by the glowing rocks, looking quite odd really he thought, wondering if he looked as strange to her, as she did to him?

Jonathon had stopped or rather he had been forced to stop, because the last step had brought him face to face with a door, a closed door made up of solid looking, oak planks. They were definitely very old and dust coated, but still they created a sound looking barrier. He looked again at the door made of the planks; it looked quite ordinary, in fact had it been anywhere but at the bottom of these steps, which are inside of the garden wishing well, he might have thought the door quite boring. Cautiously he reached out and traced his fingers over the doors surface, nothing happened.

Ninety-three, Called out Emily. "Just as it