Sinister Skies: The Other Side

By Joseph A Noble

12 year old Gabriel King lives in the sleepy town of Forest Hills. Since a brush with death on Thanksgiving dinner a couple of years ago, he developed an unnatural fear of vegetables. Now he avoids them at all costs, too embarrassed to let anyone know his secret. One afternoon he accidentally stumbles into an alternate dimension featuri

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joseph Noble
• Release date: May 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798988016915

Joseph A Noble

Joseph Noble is the author of the new middle grade fiction book Sinister Skies- The Other Side. A professionally trained programmer and video game developer, Joseph has spent the better part of the last two decades being a part of amazing interactive stories for kids both young and old. Sinister Skies - The Other Side, is his break-out novel and a chance to share his creative stories with the world. He believes amazing stories can be found everywhere if only you have the courage to view the world through the eyes of imagination.

Book preview

ebook.jpg

Copyright © 2023 by Joseph Noble

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may

be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or

by any means, electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise

without written permission from the publisher. It is

illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or

distribute it by any other means without

permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names,

characters and incidents portrayed in it are the

work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance

to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities

is entirely coincidental.

ISBN: 979-8-9880169-1-5

First edition

Cover art by MiblArt

For my beautiful family, who always encouraged me to reach for the stars and without them this book would not be possible.

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright and Dedication

Prologue

Chapter 01

Chapter 02

Chapter 03

Chapter 04

Chapter 05

Chapter 06

Chapter 07

Chapter 08

Chapter 09

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Epilogue

Cover

Ginny’s breath came in ragged as she desperately looked for a place to hide among a sea of people. You would think in a large crowd you would blend in. Apparently not. She cursed herself. Why did I even come to the fair in the first place? Her eyes were laser focused on the figure standing near one of the midway games. His face was painted pure white, making the red makeup around his mouth stand out. Dark painted circles under his eyes made him look sad, and he held a handful of red balloons. His outfit was ridiculous looking. He wore a lime green patchwork suit with shoes so big he could float on them. A wide smile spread across his face. Everything in her said he was not to be trusted. He was a clown.

The fair came to town every summer and every year she made excuses not to go. Ginny was extremely careful not to let anyone know about her fear of clowns. At times it got so bad she was unable to sleep. However, when the cutest boy in school asked if she was going, she did not even try to make an excuse. Her response was a confident Yeah, see you there! Now she stood face to face with her worst nightmare.

The smell of fried food filled her senses. Her older brother Tyler, who had come with her, was the only one who knew about Ginny’s phobia. To her relief, Tyler never judged her, although that never stopped him from acting like a stereotypical big brother. Tyler liked to mess with her.

You want a balloon, sis?

She squinted and slugged him in the arm. You’re such a jerk. Ginny acted like she was mad, but in truth he made her feel safe.

Tyler playfully threw his arm over her shoulders. Come on, I want to check out the weird animals. I hear they have the world’s largest rat!

Ginny nodded in agreement. She dared to look up at the clown one last time, but he was gone.

They spent the night hanging out together. She was lucky her brother was so cool. He wasn’t embarrassed to be seen with his little sister in public. She was waiting outside the bathrooms for him when a chill ran down her spine. Ginny got the feeling she was being watched. After a quick look around, she saw why.

The sad-looking clown from the midway games was lurking in a tent entrance on the other side of the dirt path. His features were bathed in shadow giving him a sinister appearance. A faint yellow light from within the tent barely illuminated his face. Ginny almost passed out when she noticed his eyes were completely black. It had to be just a trick of the shadows. Tension filled the air, and she was ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. He stood lifeless in the entrance; black eyes transfixed on her. A group of people walked in front of Ginny, blocking the view of the tent. Once they passed, the clown was gone.

That night Ginny lay in bed, thinking about her evening with Tyler. She thought about the games and the strange attractions. She briefly smiled at the memory of talking with the cute boy from school. Those thoughts were nice, but not nice enough. If she was being honest with herself, she was trying to think of everything but the clown. It was no use. His face was all she could see, and Ginny had to remind herself to breathe. Every shadow in the room made her heart race, and finally she resorted to covering her face with the blanket. It was going to be another sleepless night.

Saturday morning was reserved for chores, which she did without complaint. Today was her weekly trip to the bakery downtown. The owner was the nicest man who always gave her freebies. After lunch, she got changed and pinned her strawberry blond hair back to keep it from getting in her eyes. Dark storm clouds covered the sky, promising an afternoon downpour.

Don’t forget to wear your helmet, said a voice from the back room.

Okay, Dad, I won’t Ginny yelled. Nothing ever happens in this town anyways. Her helmet with yellow and pink flowers fit snugly on her head.

Ginny’s dad stood in the doorway of the front porch. You know I’m just looking out for you, that’s all.

She put her hands on her hips and sighed. Ya know I’m eleven years old? That’s almost a teenager!

Her dad smiled and walked back into the house, saying, I know. That’s what scares me the most.

Ginny’s house sat at the edge of town on a small street near the downtown shops. The two-story building was painted bright yellow and had red trim around the windows. In front of the house, a set of three small stairs led up to the front porch. Ginny wore her favorite red dress decorated with beautiful yellow flowers. If only her bicycle color matched her outfit.

Ginny was walking down the steps when a bright light burst from the sky. She practically jumped out of her skin and lost her footing.

With a thud, Ginny landed on her back. She hit the ground so hard everything went black for a moment. Her ears felt hot, and she kept her eyes glued to the ground in case someone had seen her fall. Ginny stood up and dusted blades of grass off her dress. Finally, she chanced embarrassment and allowed her eyes to look up from the ground. Her jaw dropped, and she shuffled back a few steps. She blinked her eyes a couple of times in disbelief.

What happened to the sky? she whispered. The clouds had disappeared, and the sky looked like a painter’s canvas covered in bright purple paint. Embedded in the night sky were small orbs of red light. Ginny stared at the strange sight, head slightly tilted, rubbing her forehead.

Dad, what happened to the sky? Ginny shouted. No answer. Come on, Dad, stop messing around.

Nothing but silence came from the house. Her muscles tensed, and her mouth went dry. Why is he not answering?! She ran into the house to find her dad. It was unlike him to answer. Ginny’s stomach went sour. He was not in the kitchen, the upstairs office, or even the bathroom. The house was empty.

Standing next to kitchen, she cried out, Where are you? Her arms sprouted goosebumps as the temperature around her plummeted.

The house was getting darker by the second. The darkness crept from the furthest corners of the house, limiting what she could see. She was making her way through the shadows but stopped abruptly when a loud honking sound, like a bicycle horn, came from an object she had stepped on. Ginny lifted her foot, and her eyes went wide at the sight of a small red clown’s nose. Her legs trembled and her stomach went sour. What is this doing here? As if it had a mind of its own, the clown nose wobbled away from her and took a sharp turn towards the kitchen and out of sight.

The color ran from Ginny’s face, and she ran out of the house screaming. This must be a nightmare. She was breathing rapidly, and sweat beads dripped down her face. What would a clown’s nose be doing in the house? Her breathing slowed as she convinced herself it couldn’t be real. Where is Dad?

The outside was eerily quiet. Even the sound of insects buzzing, and chirping were missing from the normal outdoor soundtrack. If her dad wasn’t in the house, the only place left to look would be the shed in the backyard. Ginny clutched her arms close to her chest and slowly walked around the side of the house. The muted sound of carnival music came from within the house, sending chills down her spine. It’s just a dream, right? It was the only explanation. She was just in the house looking for her dad and it was empty. But where did the clown nose come from? She was not about to go back into the house to investigate. Without hesitation, Ginny pushed forward towards the shed.

The old wooden shed sat in the back yard under the large oak tree. Water stains discolored the side panels from years of rain, and some of the corners showed signs of rot. The smell of mildew hung heavy in the air. She stood in front of the old building, trembling.

Her voice cracked as she called out for her father. Dad, are you in there? No response. Dad . . . please answer! Again, nothing. In a last-ditch effort, Ginny knocked on the door three times. Time stood still as she waited. Guess he’s not in there.

She turned to walk away. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. The sound came from the inside the shed.

Ginny’s heart pounded as adrenaline coursed through her veins. She struggled to move, but her feet were cemented to the ground. She mustered up the nerve to say H-Hello?

The door of the shed flew open, and two monstrous hands grabbed her. She let out a blood-curdling scream as she was dragged into the shed. Kicking wildly and