G C Blair - Author of the Miss Fitz book series
Cid, Aunt Fenula and the Miss Fitz Agency unexpectedly find themselves in the glare of the world’s media when they provide the entertainment for the Brockslake Halloween ball. Cid is also glared at by her parents, teachers, angry villagers and Abbot Fulco, a 500 year old monk.
None of them are happy about the success of the Miss Fitz Agency’s latest signing, Romero the Resplendent, who accidentally unleashes the ghosts of Brockslake.
As village residents from centuries before start popping up all over the place, Cid and the gang are drawn into old feuds and new conspiracies that endanger not only their safety but the future of Brockslake itself.
(You may have noticed that the font is slightly different. My thanks to Pegasus for agreeing to use OpenDyslexic font to make the book more accessible to young readers.)
Prologue
(Or Chapter Minus One)
Fact: getting yourself into a Tricky Situation is much easier than getting out of it again.
The trouble is that as you blunder into the Tricky Situation, there aren’t any big, flashing warning signs saying:
‘***Stop! Whatever it is you’re thinking about is NOT a good idea.***’
Or…
‘Caution: Tricky Situation Ahead – Please Prepare.’
So, when Aunt Fenula asked me to become Creative Director of the Miss Fitz Agency, I had no idea that I would find myself in a VERY Tricky Situation.
By the way, I’m Cid Fitz.
Looking back, the sensible thing to do before agreeing to be Creative Director would have been to ask advice from someone who is supposed to know about these things. I didn’t, though, because:
1. sensible isn’t always the best thing to be and …
2. … the people who are supposed to know usually leave me feeling more confused.
Take my dad. He loves what he calls Wise Sayings. One of his favourites is ‘Strike while the iron is hot!’ This sounds like a good way to get burned to me. Another of his favourites is ‘Fortune favours the brave,’ which definitely rules me out.
The last time I asked his advice on something he said, ‘Slow and steady wins the race, Cid.’
As I pointed out, ‘If that was true, I’d be picked first for team games instead of last.’
He frowned. ‘What I mean, Cid, is look before you leap.’
So I said, ‘Suppose while I’m looking, something creeps up behind me and gives me a great big shove?’
Then Dad came out with the Wise Saying he uses most often: ‘Ask your mother.’
Asking mum is only ever the Last Resort as she tries to start a Big Conversation, which is usually about one of three things:
Question 1: ‘How are things at school, Cid?’
Question 2: ‘What do you think of Winston’s new girlfriend?’
Question 3: ‘Why don’t you make an effort with some of the more popular children instead of hanging around on your own?’
I avoid these questions for good reasons – the answers.
Question 1: It’s better for mum if she doesn’t know the answer.
Question 2: Anyone who wants to go out with my older brother is clearly an idiot and I have enough idiots in my life, the main one being Winston himself. Perhaps I am being unfair on Winston’s’ girlfriends? They usually dump him after a fortnight, so they can’t be completely stupid.
Question 3: This always ends with Mum saying something like ‘try a bit harder to fit in.’ Last time she suggested I ‘use social media to make friends with the others at school. What about joining C-Me-Now?’
C-Me-Now would be another way to make my life more difficult than it is already by giving Summer Relish more opportunities to be annoying. Why would I do that? Worse, what if Mum wants to ‘friend’ me? She’d be bound to post what she calls ‘sweet stories’ about me being potty trained or the time I bit the dentist. From what I remember, Mum didn’t find it ‘sweet’ when I bit her. She shouted a lot and called me Clematis..........
