Free Jack Gregson & the Forgotten Portal by Peter Wilson Page A

day’s events. He was tired too, but couldn’t sleep for all
the questions that kept pestering him. How could he have recognised
the Shadow Man? He didn’t have any features to recognise in the
first place. He was made of mist!
    Jack rolled over and reached for Rosie’s
bag. He grabbed the book and her phone to use as a torch.
    Turning on the light, he looked at the book
and saw that the title on the cover had changed. Where it had
originally said ‘The Gregson Estate,’ it now said ‘The Grotto.’
    He opened to the contents page and saw that
it also had changed. Where there had been chapters on different
rooms of the house, there were now chapters like The Grotto,
Punkeys, and Portal Etiquette.
    Jack thought about what his grandmother had
said earlier about the chocolate cake, and thought of a question he
wanted answered. Immediately a chapter appeared at the bottom of
the list – Chapter Twenty: Chaos Pixies. He noted the page number
and eagerly flipped to it.
    Chaos Pixies are pixies often held in black
orbs. They are good to use when trying to escape danger, and bring
fear to even the most experienced travellers like Anthrow.
    In other words you have no idea what Chaos
Pixies are, he thought. The book had basically repeated what he’d
learned that day. What good was this book if it didn’t know
anything that was helpful?
    Suddenly the chapter on Chaos Pixies wiped
away from the page leaving it blank. A new chapter title appeared,
‘Maddox and Jessica Gregson.’
    Jack looked at the page in shock as sentence
after sentence appeared on the page, all about his parents.
    Maddox Gregson was born to Ronald and Marion
Gregson in 1978 at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. He weighed six
pounds…
    Jack flipped the page. He wanted to know
everything about his dad and promised himself to come back later to
read every word, but right now he felt the need to skip ahead.
    Maddox and Jessica married in 2000, the
ceremony and reception taking place in the Eastern garden amongst
family and friends. Maddox couldn’t believe the amount of people
that his mother had invited that he’d never met before…
    Maddox found a very special book in the
library that enriched his life and opened him up to the
possibilities of the Universe. The joy and happiness the book
brought to him…
    In 2011, Jessica fell pregnant much to the
joy of the whole family…
    Maddox confronted his mother about what he’d
learned about the Grotto through his amazing book. Angry that
secrets had been kept from him, he found entry to the portal and
went in search of adventure…
    Jack paused from reading. His father had
been lied to, just like he had! Why had his grandmother kept things
from all of them? He felt anger as he continued reading.
    On May 1st 2012, Jack Gregson was born into
the world, unhealthy and close to death. Unexplained complications
caused Jessica Gregson to pass away at his birth…
    Unexplained complications? Jack wondered
whether it was just the books lack of knowledge on his mother’s
death or if truly was a mystery. And sick? He had never been told
he was born unhealthy.
    Maddox confronted his mother, and demanded
she use magic to save Jessica and his child. She refused saying
that it wasn’t possible. Maddox then left through the portal in
search of Richard Gregson, who had somehow managed to cheat death
and whom Maddox believed could help him save his wife and son.
    He hasn’t been seen since.
    Jack closed the book and looked out into the
trees in front of him. They were in yet another clearing, the same
as the others he’d seen that day. He could make out some movement
in the dark, an animal moving around foraging for food.
    He watched as it walked away from a trees
shadow and into the dim moonlight. It was what Rosie had called a
Punkey, and David had been right, it really did look like a monkey
crossed with a puppy.
    “Can’t sleep?” Anthrow said as he walked up
behind Jack.
    “Nope,” replied Jack.
    “Big day. A lot to