Beware of the Mirror Man by Benjamin Burford-Jones - Screaming Dreams - Publishing all things fantasy, sci-fi and horror

Beware of the Mirror Man
by Benjamin Burford-Jones

Published by Candy Jar Books in conjunction with Screaming Dreams, Beware of the Mirror Man is Ben's debut novel aimed at the younger reader.

About the Book

Gathering dust in Sophie’s deserted attic is an ancient black and white television set. Beyond the cobwebs and the old bits of furniture, it serves as a refuge, a home, and a studio for the strange little creatures, known as mimics, who perform live from inside the TV.

Sophie quickly finds new friends among these peaceable creatures, but very soon she begins to receive mysterious notes of warning...‘Beware the Mirror Man’.

Extract

The attic was deserted. That is to say, deserted as far as humans were concerned. If a person had been in the room, most would have only noticed a spider busily building yet another web between the arms of an ancient rocking chair. The most observant may have spotted a lonely battered suitcase discarded on the carpetless floor, but they would not have given it a second glance. It had been many, many years since it had seen sun, sea and sand, and was now the home to several small rodents.

The cardboard box with the words Aunt Rosie’s Dried Egg printed in fading blue letters may have raised an eyebrow, but most people would not have been interested. Even the large drum propped against the peeling wall would have been ignored. In its centre there was a hole where many years ago a clumsy foot had stumbled. It was now yellow with age, and covered in thick layers of dust. Amongst this rubbish, not even the most observant of people would have seen the rather unusual inhabitants of this particular attic. To humans it was simply deserted.

The building that the attic sat on top of was a large, elegant Edwardian house. It was once a proud house full of servants and their well off masters, but that was long ago. The house now stood quiet and still. Outside in the overgrown garden the sun began to set, causing the ‘For Sale’ sign planted haphazardly in the flowerbed to create eerie shadows on the ground. With a flutter, a magpie flew upwards out of the undergrowth. Landing on his usual perch, the branch of a nearby tree, his eye caught something glittering through the cracked attic window. The bird watched with interest as an ancient and dusty television set, the kind that your Grandmother may have recalled from after the last World War, flickered into life.

About the Cover Artist

Steve Upham enjoys all things creative, including drawing, painting, digital art, photography and much more. He is also the editor/publisher at Screaming Dreams of course! Please get in touch if you are interested in commissioning cover artwork.