A Strange Awakening

By Mike Ogden

This is the story of a young boy growing up and how, although he is not aware of it at the time, he is destined for something beyond his wildest dreams. Since he was young, strange and unusual things have often seemed to happen to him: strangers who appear to know him; dreams and fantasies that merge with reality; and strange coincidences in which the events of his life draw in and interweave with the lives of many around him.

Torn between Australia and England, it seems as though the map of his life has already been laid out for him. But life has so much more in store for him than he ever imagined. Even if it lies beyond his understanding, he has no choice but to go along for the ride.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Mar 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781035806393

Mike Ogden

HAVING A VIVID IMAGINATION AND HAVING WRITTEN MANY SHORT STORIES, ROMANCE, CRIME, SCI FI AND RESEARCHED MATERIALS AND ALWAYS HAVING A FASCINATION FOR KING ARTHUR THIS JUST SEEMED TO BE THE OBVIOUS THING TO WRITE ABOUT. AND KNOWING THE AREAS IN THE BOOK MADE IT SO MUCH EASIER FOR RESEARCH.

Book preview

The Beginning

Archie was born in England in a place called Prestbury, a village in Cheshire that has changed little in the last 400 years and yet is only a stone’s throw from Manchester, the second biggest city in Britain. Prestbury, where even today, doors can be left open, there is no crime, no road deaths, to traffic lights, and no unemployment.

Unfortunately for him, he didn’t stay in this idyllic village, but lived with his parents in Manchester.

His life was like any poor kids, Dad worked, Mum worked. They didn’t have a car at first, no TV, no phone and the family lived in a Coronation Street type house with two up two down and an outside toilet. At the top of the street was a coal mine and many of the people around the area worked in or for the mine.

His first recollection of life was the mine blowing up and fire pouring from the big wheel. Many men were killed and every house in the street had its doors open to assist families. Although he didn’t fully appreciate it, this was first lesson on ordinary people helping each other and authority not really caring about working people.

One day when Archie was four years of age and with his mother in a supermarket, it was cold and whilst his mum was pre occupied, a woman came up to him. She was wearing sandals.

She said, Hello, my little friend, do you know me?

He looked up at her. She was old. Her hair was very long and she had a nice smile.

His mother came back at that point. Who are you? she asked.

I am…your son’s future—

That was as far as she got. His mother called security and the woman seemed to disappear.

The police interviewed them. Did she do anything to you? Did she touch you? he asked Archie.

Yes, he replied. She touched my arm.

Can you tell us what she looked like?

Yes.

She was old…

How old? asked the officer.

Old.

Was she as old as say…er…your mum?

Oh no, he replied. Not THAT old.

So how old? What did she look like?

She had long hair, sort of red and blonde, she had really really blue eyes.

Did she say anything that you can remember?

Yes, she kept saying I was the special one.

At this point, his mother asked if she could talk to the policeman on their own.

You know, Archie is only a child and of course he tends to see things different to the way they are. The woman was old. Her face was very weather beaten and almost brown. I would say she was more than likely in her late 70s.

What it came down to was that the two descriptions were totally different which meant it was almost impossible to put out an accurate description.

The Dream

Archie was about eight or nine years of age when he first started having, what turned out to be, reoccurring dreams. He told his parents that he had the dream twice. They told him that if he had the dream a third time that he would have to see a doctor. He did have the dream many more times, but of course did not tell his parents as he thought they would have him at all sorts of Doctors.

The dream was always the same. He was walking down a street that wasn’t a street; there was a canal nearby. He walked for hours without getting any further and somehow ended up in the middle of a gypsy camp always led by a young girl. A gypsy camp; or could be a travelling funfair.

The young girl would always tell Archie he was the special one and that she had waited for him that he had a special power that if ever misused, would leave him.

At school, Archie was befriended by what seemed to be to him an elderly teacher. She was about 30 to 40 years old. She protected Archie and looked after him during his first weeks at school. One day she called Archie, Arthur, the special one and she called him that for the whole year that he was in her class.

His early days at school seemed to prepare Archie for life ahead. He was always more friendly with girls. His first friend was Anne Burns, and his other friend was Carl Flavel, a child from a very poor family.

Archie’s family was poor. Dad’s job was poorly paid and he worked long hours. Archie recalled Tuesdays and Thursday nights looking out of the bedroom window, watching him come in the back gate with his bike, and he would work weekends, only seeing his dad, Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.

Archie felt sorry for Carl. Never finding out if he had two parents, just remembering bringing him home because he was always hungry and his clothes were always dirty looking and ragged. Mum would feed him and give him cast-off clothing because they were better than his.

Archie’s family never did see his parents, and had no idea what happened to him after leaving the area. Archie always felt comfortable with him, as he did later in life with those who had nothing.

Archie’s only other real friend at school was Joseph Merlin. Children thought this kid was weird. He was always doing magic tricks, some were very silly, but others – no one could explain how he did them. For example, one time he took a stone held it in his hand and it turned into a golden colour. Joseph said it was gold. Everyone said that they believed him. Archie had seen him do lots of things he could not explain. Joseph did a trick with a girl. No one knew if he really made her disappear; that was really odd, because she was never seen again. He used to tell everyone that he had been around hundreds of years. Everyone thought he was weird.

He seemed to have some kind of hold on the teachers. He was often late and would smile and the teachers would tell him not to be late again.

Yet as strange as he was, Archie felt he knew him already and as frustrating as he was, Archie could never get angry with him.

One day a fire broke out. It took over