The Bones of Wrath: Monsters

By T.K. Wrathbone

Monsters; the things we fear most aren’t hidden under the bed

Croc-O-Jaws: Billy Daniels and his family are holidaying at Lake Kirriwaka, the bluest of blue natural lakes, but it holds a long dead secret that’s been spewed from the pits of the earth that only the locals know on an intimate level.

Godjira: While playing it up at Japan’s newest theme park with his twin brother and parents, Dustin Hooper soon finds out what hell on earth actually means when the depths of ancient Japan spits out a creature not seen in centuries.

King of the Castle: Rose and Ricky Thorn may be of rich English descent, but that doesn’t stop them getting into trouble and discovering the secret their great-great-grandfather, Professor Theseus Vessor, discovered nearly two hundred years ago on the family’s very own private island.

Arach No Phobia: Mike and Bobby Codsworth may be twelve-year-old geniuses, but their love of all things eight legged has gotten them into the biggest trouble they’ve ever been in. Until they come up with a genius-level idea to capture the Queen.

Oh, Yet I Did: Ben Watkins and his family are off to find the menace who has been wreaking havoc in the local town of Yarrumburra. The mayor has called in his family to find out what or who is responsible for the town’s crime spree, and Ben and his cousins soon find something more supernatural than a human...

• Language: English
• Publisher: T.K. Wrathbone
• Release date: Dec 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9781925683639

T.K. Wrathbone

Welcome to the spine-tingling world of T.K. Wrathbone!T.K. Wrathbone is a children's TV show veteran who loves watching disaster and creature/zombie movies and TV shows, but not at night.T.K. started writing many a year ago back in primary school, but only started her author career in 2015 with the release of her first three stories and anthology. She will write and release stories until there are twelve Bones books and a special edition numbered 13...For more information visit – www.tkwrathbone.com

Book preview

CROC-O-JAWS

"Come on, Dad, can’t you drive any faster? We wanna get to Lake Kirriwaka," Billy complained from the backseat of the family’s four-wheel drive.

They were going camping for a week and were towing their fully decked out caravan behind them.

We’ll get there when we get there and not a minute before, Ben Daniels told his twelve-year-old son. I’m not rushing and putting our lives in danger just because you’re impatient. He clicked on the blinker and veered into the exit lane for Lake Kirriwaka. It’s only another fifty ks to go.

Fifty! Nick, Billy’s fifteen-year-old brother got his own complaint in. Geez, we’re never gonna get there. He elbowed his brother to get off him and hit the window button for air. Jesus, Billy, you stink. Mum, Billy farted.

Did not, Billy whined, trying to hide his giggles.

Ew, Billy, Molly, their eight-year-old sister, cried, shaking her head out of the other back window. Mum!

Billy, stop passing gas, Terri Daniels told her middle child. I don’t know what it is you’re eating, but it makes you horridly gross. Stop it. She peered over her shoulder at her three children and saw their border collie Razzer in the back of the four-wheel drive shy away from Billy and stick his nose over Nick’s shoulder and out the window for air. And don’t even think about blaming it on the dog. We know it was you.

No, it wasn’t, it was Razzer. Billy smirked, loving the fact he could blame his gaseous problems on the dog who couldn’t talk back.

You stink, Billy. Razzer smells better than you, so we know it was you. Molly slid her window up half way and smoothed out her pigtails. Her flaming red hair curled in large loops down to her shoulders, and her bright flashing green eyes highlighted the light spattering of freckles across her face. Molly was the only one in the family to have red hair. A throwback from their great-grandparent her mother had said, so she relished being different to her brunette family. She also had two missing front teeth which showed when she smiled, and she was smiling while retying the bright green ribbons in her doll’s flaming red hair, tied in two pigtails like her own. Her dolly was a mini version of her.

"Razzer eats dog food and stinks. I eat human food and do not stink," Billy informed everyone, elbowed Nick back for the blow to the ribs he’d taken earlier, and then went on to inform the whole family about his non-existent issues for the next half hour.

While you lot have been talking about your horrid gas resources… Ben cast a glance at his wife and grinned. We’ve arrived at Lake Kirriwaka.

The kids craned their necks out of the back windows to take in the picturesque country town in outback Australia. The town was named after the lake, but the drinking supply was provided by a natural spring and aqueduct two kilometres away which also supplied the water for the cattle and crops. The town was spread across those two kilometres making it a short drive to the lake.

Ben pulled up to the petrol station and alighted to fill the tank, only to be greeted by the town’s resident tour guide, who also happened to own the station.

Let me fill that up for ya, mate, the man said. Where ya’s from? He shoved the pump into the tank and casually leaned on the car.

Melbourne, Ben told him. We heard about the lake and decided to come for a holiday to see it for ourselves. As blue as blue can be, it’s supposed to be. And as clean as the air we breathe.

Yep, well, that’s what it says on the brochures we put out. I’m Mudgee, by the way. He extended a chocolate brown hand to shake Ben’s.

Ben eyed Mudgee up and down as he shook his hand, taking in the dark curls, brown eyes and brown skin. I take it you’re from here. How long?

All my life. Mudgee nodded to the kids who eagerly leaned out the window. Hello, youngins. I’m Mudgee, aboriginal born and bred here in Lake Kirriwaka. He tweaked Razzer under the chin. And who’s this fella?

That’s Razzer, Billy informed him, eyeing the man’s appearance. Got anything to tell us about the lake? We’re camping there.

Mudgee’s eyes landed on Billy’s. Ya are, are ya? Ya’d better be careful then, tourists have been known to go missing from the lake at certain times of the year. Especially if they park too close to the edge. And don’t go swimming alone, he warned. Or the Croc-o-Jaws will getch’ya. The pump came to a clanking stop and he put it back in its holder.

The what-o-what? Billy asked, leaning halfway out the window and shoving his brother and Razzer aside.

The Croc-o-Jaws, Mudgee repeated, his black eyes flicking back and forth from Billy to his dad. The tale goes, that when this country had dozens of rivers and lakes, a giant shark swam inland. All the way of the furthest point it could go. And that, was Lake Kirriwaka. He spread his arms wide. It swam here, and it is said that to survive it bred with a crocodile and had multiple babies. Mudgee hopped from one foot to the other, doing a little dance around in circles. Time has not erased the Croc-o-Jaws, it has descended down through time just like the lake has transcended with it. He stopped and peered down the road towards the lake. The tale has it, that it hid deep down in the lake bed because the lake bed is an old volcanic shelf thousands of feet deep. Deeper than the oceans. Mudgee spun around to Billy. And it is said that after a series of earth tremors, the volcano let go of its secrets, and one of those was the Croc-o-Jaws, giving it life all over again. And so people have gone missing, and so have cows and sheep that wandered down to the lake. He tweaked Razzer’s chin again, his head next to Billy’s. So better not let this one off on his own. Ya may not get him back. Grinning, he turned to Ben. That’ll be a hundred fifty.

Ben handed over the money, a twinkle in his eyes as he looked from a grinning Mudgee to his son. Well, that’s quite a story. We’ll have to keep our eyes open for this Croc-o-Jaws, won’t we, Billy? He ruffled his son’s unruly hair and thanked Mudgee before getting in the car. Making sure his sons were buckled up, he left the station and headed down