The Secret Puzzle Box

COMING SOON!

The Secret Puzzle Box

CHAPTER 1

As the lightning streaked across the blackened sky, the shadows of eight spindly legs hurried across the wet road. The creature paused, with a subtle bounce, as it waited beneath a parked car. Thunder shook aggressively at the surrounding buildings, and the creature lowered itself to the ground. A thin layer of storm water ran beneath its gently glowing body, reflecting a blurred whirring and spinning of glistening metal.

The bright beams of an oncoming car lit up the falling rain, as the mechanical creature prepared itself to scamper toward its destination. Moments later it was off once more, it’s eight faithful legs carrying it along with the tiniest of mechanical clattering. Again it paused, just as a small burst of steam shot out from its abdomen. As it did so, a collection of tiny brass cogs and wheels were set in rapid motion inside its transparent body.

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The mechanised spider looked up and down the road until deciding which house it was to target. Its eight glass eyes inside its rotating metal head focused intently on the light coming from a front bay window. Ever so slowly it approached the old terraced house. Its small trailing footprints in the muddy lawn quickly filled with water as it made its way through the rain.

The creature stopped and checked about itself, making sure no-one was watching. Then there was a sudden whirr as a brass spring deep inside wound itself up very tightly. And, with a small shudder of its eight crouching legs, its spring released in a burst of sparks and it pounced up upon a wheelie-bin and peered in through the large bay window. It looked curiously about until it found what it was looking for.

A blond-haired boy of twelve was sitting cross-legged upon a rug, untangling a ball of wire. Eight tiny images of Christopher Daring came into focus in its eight glass eyes. The mechanised creature gave a repetitive shudder, as yet another burst of steam erupted from its rear. And its two front pincers slid back and forth across one another like a pair of sharp scissors. The spinning cogs and wheels slowed to a tick, as excitement mounted in the glowing spider, for within this cosy room it had finally found its prey.

More rain continued to lash down, and occasional blasts of wind tended to throw it noisily against the window. As Christopher looked up, the spider crouched low, not wanting to be seen.

Its internal mechanisms clicked and whirred within the soft glow of light, and its eight eery eyes independently focused upon different aspects of the room.

The spider considered its inside foe, before peering about the front of the house for a way in. But all was locked up securely. It pounced off of the wheelie-bin and became wedged into the sodden grass. Its inner warm glow pulsed within, as its eyes scanned the garden boundary. Then, one-by-one it pulled each of its eight legs from the rain-soaked mud beneath, emitting small suction sounds each time. It shuddered from the onslaught of rain and continued around the house, looking for another way in.

Way above, lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the intricate brass and glass creature. Its inner workings of cogs and wheels easily visible beneath its transparent cover. It swung its razor-sharp pincers from side to side, the metal blades glinting in the darkness. As thunder shortly followed, the spider lowered itself to the ground in a precautionary stance before moving on to the back of the house. Another whoosh of steam was ejected from its rear and mushroomed up into a vaporous cloud that finally evaporated into the night.

Pushing open the rear gate, the spider crept carefully into the rear garden. Its eight eyes scanned the grounds with intense curiosity, and eight images swam lazily about before being brought sharply into focus. Turning its attention onto the back of the house, it noticed a small cat flap. Its razor-sharp pincers slid back and forth once again as excitement grew, until a noise behind it caused it to crouch motionless, again not wanting to be seen.