The Secret Amulet

By G F Matthews

An ancient sorceress extends her hand to a young girl, unaware that she is the key to the fate of two worlds. Entrusted with a mysterious amulet, the girl is transported from her familiar surroundings to a realm filled with wonders and natural marvels beyond her wildest dreams. In this new world, she encounters a unique civilization devoted to caring for and nurturing their environment. As her journey unfolds, she must confront and overcome a sinister entity to ensure not only her survival but also the balance of both worlds she has come to cherish.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jun 21, 2024
• ISBN: 9781035850334

G F Matthews

G F Matthews with a lifelong passion for words and fantastical realms, has previously crafted stories for young children. Embracing a new challenge, she has now ventured into writing for a slightly older audience. The genesis of this story dates back 35 years, but the twists and turns of life delayed its completion. Recently, with renewed determination, she picked up the threads of her narrative and brought it to fruition. Her fondness for fantasy is evident in this latest work, yet it maintains a strong connection to the contemporary world. In developing the character of Chloe, the author has created a robust and compelling female heroine, embodying strength and resilience that resonate with readers of all ages.

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About the Author

G F Matthews with a lifelong passion for words and fantastical realms, has previously crafted stories for young children. Embracing a new challenge, she has now ventured into writing for a slightly older audience. The genesis of this story dates back 35 years, but the twists and turns of life delayed its completion. Recently, with renewed determination, she picked up the threads of her narrative and brought it to fruition. Her fondness for fantasy is evident in this latest work, yet it maintains a strong connection to the contemporary world. In developing the character of Chloe, the author has created a robust and compelling female heroine, embodying strength and resilience that resonate with readers of all ages.

Dedication

To Astrid, a wonderful teacher and colleague, who read the first few chapters and pushed me to continue but never got to see the last chapter.

Thanks to Ella Buggy for the 'Amulet' design

Copyright Information ©

G F Matthews 2024

The right of G F Matthews to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 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 9781035850327 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035850334 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

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E14 5AA

1 Car Boot Day

The bright morning sun filtered through a small crack in the closed paisley-patterned bedroom curtains. Chloe rolled over and groaned, pulling the covers firmly back over her head. She closed her eyes tightly and thought to herself, ‘Another five minutes.’ That didn’t work, and she turned over again, reaching out for the clock. Ten past seven! Nobody got up at ten past seven on a Sunday morning.

Below her in the kitchen, her younger brother Chris was busy eating his breakfast. Early mornings didn’t bother him in the slightest; he was used to them. One of his favourite things was to rise early and head off to a nearby pond for some serious fishing. The pond was only at the bottom of their garden, just over a wooden fence, so his mum could always see him from the kitchen window. To be honest, he never caught anything; the pond probably didn’t have any fish in it, or if there were fish, they were probably too smart to get hooked on one of his makeshift hooks.

Fishing, however, was not on the cards today. The past few days had seen the pair busily sorting through cupboards and drawers for things they had grown out of or just fed up with. Today was the day of the village car boot sale!

Allbolton was a very quiet place, a small village surrounded by beautiful countryside. At one end of the village was Deeping Wood, and on the other side were open fields. The village was not very big; it had one main road with a few houses, a small shop which had a post office in it, and it also had a bus stop.

There was a small village hall where apparently people from the village would go to make decisions. There were a couple of houses set off the main road down private lanes. Chloe and her family lived down one of these lanes, so it was nice and private, which is what their mum had wanted.

They had moved there about four years ago, just her, her younger brother, and her mum. She had grown to love the house and all its quirkiness, but it had taken a while; at first, she hated it and the village as she had had to move away from where all her friends had been, so this had been very new and very strange at first.

Her father had died in a car accident, and her mother wanted to start over to try to get over this, but she never really had. The house they used to live in was large and very modern; there were many places to go nearby, places where she could meet some of her friends. However, this house was the opposite. A small stone cottage with leaded windows and a quirky entrance porch that looked like, with a slight nudge, it would fall over. A beautiful plant with purple flowers grew up and over it, and some of the branches fell down the other side, trying to find some way to attach and take over more of the wall.

Over the years, though, her mother had worked hard