The Darkness: A Short Tale of Uncommon Daring & Ultimate Defia...

Everyone's afraid of the dark. Now, there's a reason to be. Lux and his younger brother Lunam enjoy the full freedom of the simple life and all the childhood adventures offered by growing up in a small village in a picturesque glen. Life is tranquil, peaceful, and just about perfect—except for one formidable fact... Every day is followed by night. And, with the night, comes the DARKNESS. Slowly shrouding the valley and relentlessly seeping into every nook and cranny on its nightly rampage, the darkness returns to feast on its victims. No man, woman, child, animal—or even, insect—is safe. The darkness consumes all; the darkness's hunger is never satisfied. When the sun falls from the sky, the villagers, young and old, must take to arms, guarding their homes, loved ones, and livestock with every ray of light they can muster. Even young Lux and Lunam are well-soldiered in their responsibilities to safeguard themselves and their parents during the nightly vigil, the nightly fight to live to see another day. It's always been this way—the truths and ritual passed down from generation to generation since ancient times. No one dares question why. Nothing can change the frightening fact of the lives of the villagers or emancipate them from their singular foe—nothing, except a child's imagination and a curiosity as immutable as the darkness's own appetite. There's just one truth guiding every man, woman, and child to strive to see another day: "Darkness Comes but Once a Night." ♦ First Place Award for Fantasy Fiction (CIPA EVVY Book Awards) ♦ Gold Medal for Best Short Story (Literary Classics Book Awards) ♦ Award for Fairy Tale & Folklore Fiction (CIPA EVVY Book Awards) ♦ Bronze Award for Fiction Short Story (Readers' Favorite International Book Awards) ♦ Bronze Award for Short Story Fiction (eLit Book Awards) ♦ Excellence Award for YA Sci-Fi & Horror (New Apple Summer E-Book Awards) ♦ Literary Classics Seal of Approval ♦ B.R.A.G. Medallion Award ♦ Enjoy the Read... If you delight in fantasy, adventure, otherworldly supernatural mysteries, brotherly love, the power of imagination and one boy's determination, the fight against the dying of the light, the triumph of good over evil, and one village's tale of being afraid of the dark, you'll relish reading The Darkness.

About the Author

"[Her] writing is nothing short of brilliant. Avery knows her way around words and uses them with expertise to captivate the audience." (Reader Views)"She's a master of grabbing the reader and pulling them into the story. ... Her writing is off-the-wall ... and always, ALWAYS spellbinding." (The Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards UK)"Justine Avery is one writer who knows how to wield words that wake us up....and in very short order. ... Her words paint pictures... Her metaphors intrigue. ... [She] has remarkable insight into human nature. ... [She] tells it like it is. And so well. (Loretta M. Siani, author of Everyday Miracles: Nine Keys to Miraculous Living)"Justine Avery is such a clever, clever writer. She'll pull you in, mess with you a little and ... when you think you have a handle on the story, she'll pull the rug from under you. Wonderful stuff!" (The Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards UK)"To be able to draw in the reader and make them root for or stress about a character's decisions in such a short space is a positive reflection on an author's skill. ... Avery sets the scene perfectly with those first few lines, and her imaginative, gentle take on the inanities of the so-called civilized world sweeps the reader from the banal to the fantastic, almost before you know it." (Readers' Favorite)On Avery's short stories..."Justine Avery is a powerful writer and a master of the tantalising short story." (Edward Trayer, founder, The Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards UK)"[She] makes you pause and think. And that's the hallmark of a powerful and compelling short story. ... The art of writing a short story includes the elements of character, setting, plot and conflict; Justine Avery skillfully molds these elements together.  Ms. Avery is certainly a master writer in the short story genre." (Readers' Favorite)"There's a craft to the short story and Justine Avery has ... mastered it." (publisher, judges panel, The Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards UK)

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