Billy's Book (Short Story) [Kindle Edition]

Simon Haynes (Author)

Book Description

Billy Crump is the local stable boy. Fed up with mucking out horses, he sneaks into the wizard's lab, concocts a potion using all the rare and expensive ingredients, and somehow ends up with a talking book. His first thought? Sell the book ... and say goodbye to horse muck forever!

Billy held the book out, not daring to meet the old man's eyes. It was snatched from his grasp, and he heard a rapid turning of pages. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a flush creep into the wizard's pale cheeks. Oh, he was really for it this time.
  Wiltred stopped reading. "Look at me, boy."
  Billy shuffled his feet, concentrating on a smear of manure. Suddenly he felt his neck twisting of its own volition, and his head snapped up with a click. He flinched as he stared into Wiltred's pale green eyes, and his stomach contracted as he imagined the dreadful spell the wizard was going to punish him with.
  There was a swish and thud. "Ow, fug!" yelled Billy, as the book slammed into the side of his head.
  "How many times have I told you to stay out of my workshop!" shouted the wizard, swinging the book again.
  Billy ducked and ran for the door. As he dived through the book sailed overhead, neatly parting his hair.

A 5000-word short story

Product Details

• File Size: 102 KB
• Print Length: 20 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Bowman Press (November 13, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0067GFM5Y
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #794,343 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Simon Haynes was born in England in 1967, and moved to Spain with his family in the mid-70's. He enjoyed an amazing childhood of camping, motorbikes, air rifles and paper planes. His family moved to Australia when he was 16.

After two years in an English-speaking school - which was a novelty after a Spanish-based education - Simon entered Curtin University, graduating three years later with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Creative Writing. In 1997 he returned to the same university, and graduated with a second degree in 1999 ... this time, Computer Science.

In 2004 Simon was writing his fourth novel when Fremantle Press, an Australian trade publisher, offered a contract for his first three books. They were published over a five-year period, and were distributed by Penguin across Australia and New Zealand.

Simon now has five Hal Spacejock novels, two Hal Junior novels and a dozen short stories in print, all of them available on Amazon Kindle.

Simon is the programmer and designer behind Spacejock Software, and is responsible for popular programs like FCharts, yWriter and yBook.

Hal Spacejock 5: Baker's Dough is his latest novel, released July 2012. Hal Junior 3: The Gyris Mission, is slated for a September 2012 release.