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Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd - Maria Schindlecker

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83 pages

English

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When Josie Fowler''s uncle, Frank, goes missing without a trace, a package with a note and Frank''s assistant, Peter, turn up at her doorstep months later. Josie''s world is turned upside down when she discovers that the mysterious package contains a large intricate mirror that holds secrets and clues into Frank''s disappearance.Together, Josie and Peter delve further into Frank''s whereabouts and investigate where he''s been all those months. Determined to find her uncle, Josie ventures with Peter into a world unlike her own.What Josie doesn''t realise is that finding her uncle sets her on a dangerous adventure that puts both her''s and Peter''s life at risk. Her modern-world skills are put to the test as she enters a world where loyalties are tested and she is forced to embrace the violence that ensues to save her uncle from a power-hungry king.Every move she makes is detrimental to saving Frank, Peter and herself.

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Publié par	Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
Date de parution	31 juillet 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781528986113
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

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Extrait

Josie Fowler and the Mirror of Ankusha
Maria Schindlecker
Austin Macauley Publishers
2020-07-31
Josie Fowler and the Mirror of Ankusha About the Author Dedication Copyright Information © Acknowledgement 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
About the Author
Maria Schindlecker is a copywriter, blogger and avid traveller residing in Sydney, Australia. She has always wanted to write stories where people can get lost in other worlds and escape their ordinary. Her passion for writing came to full fruition when she began her blog. This is her first book and she is looking forward to writing many more.
Dedication
For my father and cousin, Christian and Chris.
Copyright Information ©
Maria Schindlecker (2020)
The right of Maria Schindlecker to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528986106 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528986113 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2020)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgement
I am grateful to the following people for assisting me in bringing this story to life:
To Alyssa, for reading through the manuscript and providing me with feedback.
To Gabriel, for constantly hounding me to finish my work. Being accountable to someone to finish this book was more of a kick in the behind than you think.
To Stacey, Maria, Cristie, Eleni and Natalia, for their constant support throughout writing this adventure.
And finally, to my mother, Marianthi, for her support and encouragement in helping me bring this book to life.
Chapter 1
Josie was woken up by the sound of the doorbell. She lay in bed for a minute thinking she’d been dreaming, but there it was again.
It was early Friday morning and she wasn’t expecting anyone. She got out of bed; her head still fuzzy from sleep, put on her robe, grabbed her phone, and walked down the stairs from the top floor, past the hallway and to the front door.
From the glass panel in the door, she could make out a man’s shadow holding a fairly large object.
“Who is it?” she said as she approached the door.
“It’s UPS, I have a delivery for you,” came the voice from the outside.
Josie was surprised; she certainly wasn’t expecting a delivery. She opened the door. Standing there was a tall middle-aged man in a beige UPS shirt, his greying hair covered by a brown baseball cap that had UPS printed on it.
“Josie Fowler?”
“Yes, that’s me,” Josie’s voice was croaky as she took the package and put it against the wall inside the doorway.
“Please sign here,” the courier said, his voice had a slight Irish accent to it.
Josie signed the electronic consignment and bid the courier a good day. She closed the door behind her and turned towards the package.
Josie was a tall woman in her early thirties with long wavy brown hair and big almond shaped brown eyes. She stared at the package for a few seconds before picking it up to move it to the lounge room.
The parcel was fairly big about a metre in length by a metre in width. It wasn’t too bulky, so it was easy to carry. She carried it into the lounge room, which was just to the left of the front doorway. She placed the box on the coffee table and sat down on her old, tan leather sofa.
She looked at the consignment label and gave a slight gasp. It was sent from her Uncle Frank’s office. She was confused; her uncle had disappeared months ago. She sat there silent, still, and stared at the package for a few minutes, she didn’t know what to make of it or what to do.
Well, I guess you should start by opening it, she thought to herself. She began to open the box slowly; her heart was racing. After trying to carefully open the box, her impatience got the better of her and she began tearing at it.
Again, she sat there staring. It was an oval mirror, adorned with an intricate gold frame of vines intertwining amongst each other. Again, she stared at it blankly for a few moments.
Uncle Frank had been missing for the last three months; he was a history professor working for the University of Sydney. One day he had left his office and had not returned. No note, no trace of his whereabouts. Nothing.
Josie lifted the mirror from the torn packaging, and as she did, an envelope fell on the floor. On it, she saw her name written in her uncle’s handwriting.
She carefully put the mirror aside, making sure to lean it against the side of the sofa to stabilise it. She picked up the envelope and slowly turned it over. The envelope was sealed with his wax insignia, Josie recognised it immediately. It was his initials F.S. inside a laurel. She had received birthday and Christmas cards with his seal ever since she could remember. Uncle Frank was an old-world soul, her favourite uncle. He didn’t believe in emails and only used technology for work purposes. He was Josie’s inspiration for studying history. She wanted to follow in his footsteps.
Her heart began to race; she opened the envelope with trembling hands. Pulling the letter out and carefully unfolding it, she began to read it to herself.
"My dearest Josie,
If you’ve received this letter and mirror, then I fear the worst has happened to me. Please keep the mirror hidden and above all tell nobody you have it. The only person who knows of its existence is my assistant, Peter. He will explain all to you shortly.
Only you two know of its existence, it is dangerous to let anyone else know you have it.
Keep it and yourself safe and whatever you do don’t come looking for me. Francis."
Josie put the letter back on the coffee table and sat down. Her head was spinning. Uncle Frank knew he’d disappear, what is going on? And what has this mirror got to do with anything? She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that was making her feel nauseous.
She knew her uncle had stumbled on something years ago when he was on an expedition in Romania. But he never mentioned exactly what it was. He had been secretive ever since he had returned from that trip and would change the subject of conversation every time someone asked about it.
Just as she was trying to wrap her brain around what had happened that morning, the doorbell rang.
***
Josie sat there frozen for a while. The doorbell rang again.
She got up slowly and walked over to the door. Again, she could see a man’s shadow through the glass panel, standing there. She hesitated then brought herself to speak in a quiet voice. “Who is it?” the words barely left her mouth.
“My name is Peter, I’m Frank’s assistant, I’m here about your uncle,” he replied.
Josie stood there for a moment, hesitating before deciding to open the door. She didn’t fully open it and had left the safety latch on. She looked at him through the opening. He was tall, taller than her with a medium build and blonde hair that was neatly cut. He was wearing a purple striped shirt with a dark denim jean and a tan leather jacket. She glanced down at his shoes; they were also tan matching the jacket.
“I’m sorry to startle you,” Peter said. “I know this is all a bit confusing and I don’t blame you for being hesitant. But I’m here with a message from your uncle,” he said with a British accent; she hadn’t noticed it when he first spoke.
Josie closed the door, unlocked the safety latch and opened it completely. As she did, she noticed his piercing blue eyes. She stood there silent.
“May I come in?” Peter asked politely. “Oh, yeah, sorry. I’m, I’m just a little…”
“Confused?!” he said before she could finish her sentence.
“That’s an understatement,” Josie replied as she stepped aside to let him in.
Peter walked past her and entered the hallway, as he did, Josie caught a whiff of his cologne which was a sweet smell. It reminded her of spring.
He turned and looked at her. She made a gesture with her hands towards the living room.
As they entered, Peter glimpsed the mirror leaning against the sofa. “I see, the mirror has arrived.”
“Yes, I just opened it.”
“And you’ve read the letter?”
“Yes,” Josie nodded to the coffee table where the letter still lay. “Please have a seat.” She made her way to the recliner that was opposite the couch and sat in it. Peter walked over to the couch and sat down.
The room was dim, the blinds hadn’t been pulled up yet, the light from the outside was barely passing through their edges. Josie stared at him waiting for him to speak.
“I’m sorry about your uncle,” he finally said.
“Do you know where he is?” Josie blurted out.
They both sat there staring at each other. Peter looked at Josie in a glum way. She was hunched over, her arms folded, her big brown eyes were welling up with tears, her rosy lips were pressed together, she sat there waiting for him to say something. He would have been staring at her for a while, she was beautiful, he was almost caught off guard. He hadn’t noticed her when he rushed past her to get inside the house. He finally spoke. “I don’t know how to… um,” he scratched his head. “Well, you see…” He was a little lost for words; he didn’t know quite where to