Jake & The Gingerbread Wars (A Gryphon Chronicles Christmas Novella) (The Gryphon Chronicles) (19 page)
Authors: E.G. Foley
“Oooo, ahhhh,” the people watching said.
They later concluded that it must have been one of young Master Archie’s ingenious inventions, some sort of newfangled sparklers, or what’s-it, pyrotechnics.
But from his Joseph vantage point beside the manger, Jake knew the truth. He spotted the telltale golden sparkle-trail, and grinned behind his awful fake beard.
Little did the villagers suspect that they had a real live royal garden fairy in their midst. Up flew Gladwin in a star costume, using fairy magic to shine with all her might.
#
It was not until a few days after Christmas that Jake returned to London and was finally able to go and visit the orphanage that had once been his home.
He was dying to see what his old friends thought of “Santa” finally bringing them presents. Nevertheless, it was difficult for him to face that dreary place again, with all its painful memories.
Life was better now, he reminded himself.
Besides, he had to find out if Santa ha
d upheld his end of the bargain and fulfilled Jake’s hard-won Christmas wish.
It didn’t take long to get his answer.
He braced himself as he went in, but after visiting with his fellow orphans for a while, he looked around the stark, chilly dormitory and had to ask: “It’s good to see you all again, but where’s Petey?”
“Oh, Jake, it’s the most won
derful thing!” one of the ragged girls said breathlessly. “Just this morning, he got adopted by the nicest family!”
As she went on to describe them,
Jake listened rapturously to the details, but he was so happy they barely sank in.
He couldn’t believe it.
Santa had come through.
He had got his Christmas wish.
EPILOGUE
Crumbs of a Mystery
N
obody ever
could
explain where all the gingerbread people had disappeared to on that Christmas Eve.
It be
came one of the great mysteries of the London baking and confectionary world.
It even made the papers, and hatched fanciful stories of gingerbread people coming to life and f
leeing the shops on their own. Oh, but everyone said that was silly. Only children believed such things.
The adults took a more worldly view of the matter.
Bob and Marie had always suspected each other of this petty vandalism, but once they were reconciled, they both realized neither had been tampering with the other’s gingerbread displays, as they had assumed.
Very strange.
The best they could figure was that a family of mice with a particular taste for gingerbread must have got in somehow, and eaten all the poor gingerbread folk.
Still, as delicious as everything was in their shops, it seemed odd that none of the other baked goods had been touched.
And so, the mystery remained.
Not even
the stalwart bobby, Constable Flanagan, could solve it…
But
he had his suspicions.
The End
Dear Reader,
Jake & T
he Gingerbread Wars is a standalone story, so this may be your first visit to the world of the Gryphon Chronicles. If you’d like to read more, we recommend you start with
Book One, The Lost Heir
. In this story, Jake is first introduced, along with each of his friends (and some key enemies!). You’ll get to see how he was lost from his parents as a baby and how his relatives finally found him again.
In
Book Two, Jake & the Giant
, our plucky boy hero is settling into his new life and gaining proficiency in using his supernatural powers. He takes his first-ever holiday out of England, along with the rest of the gang, accompanying Archie to a cool, steampunky Invention Convention in Norway (home of the Nobel Prize), where the boy genius is set to unveil his flying machine to the world. But adventure seems to follow Jake wherever he goes, and he soon comes face to face with characters from old Viking legends—including Norse giants!
Then there’s
Book Three, The Dark Portal
. Spoooky! In this story, the gang travels to the wild mountains of northern Wales to have a look at the property that was part of Jake’s inheritance, along with his earldom—not just a quaint rustic manor house, but a fabulous goldmine worked by stalwart dwarves. Unfortunately, a coalmining company nearby dug too deep and freed a terrible dark force from its underground tomb. As a result, Jake must face down his most terrifying enemy to date.
You can preview any of these stories on our website at EGFoley.com. On our Chapter One Library page, you can download PDF’s of all our books. The Christmas tale you just read is the lightest of the stories, and also note that the full novels are twice the length of Jake & The Gingerbread Wars. They are recommended for ages 10 and up, but younger kids who are avid readers should do fine with them, too. Thank you so much for spending your leisure time with us! We hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as we enjoyed writing it.
Best wishes,
E.G. Foley
The Gryphon Chronicles by E.G. Foley
“A wonderful novel in the same vein as Harry Potter, full of nonstop action, magical creatures, and the reality that was Queen Victoria’s England.”
—The Reading Café
The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 1
Strange new talents…
Jake is a scrappy orphaned pickpocket living by his wits on the streets of Victorian London. Lately he’s started seeing ghosts and can move solid objects with his mind! He has no idea why. Next thing he knows, a Sinister Gentleman and his minions come hunting him, and Jake is plunged headlong into a mysterious world of magic and deadly peril. A world that holds the secret of who he really is: the long-lost heir of an aristocratic family with magical powers.
But with treacherous enemies closing in, it will take all of his wily street instincts and the help of his friends—both human and magical—to solve the mystery of what happened to his parents and defeat the foes who never wanted the Lost Heir of Griffon to be found…
Also Available!
The Gryphon Chronicles,
Book 2:
The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 3:
NY Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author E.G. Foley presents
The Gryphon Chronicles,
a series of
historical fantasy adventures (with a hint of steampunk!) that’s as much fun for grownups as it is for kids.
The United States of
Ahhhh!
-merica
50 States of Fear
By E.G. Foley
Come along on a journey – if you dare – from sea to shining sea!
Welcome to the spine-tingling new series of strange and spooky tales, with hair-raising happenings in all 50 States! Get ready for frightful chills and thrills as we visit every star on the flag. From Civil War ghosts in Alabama to weird Wyoming cowboy legends, there’s always something to scream about in
Ahhhh!
-merica.
ALABAMA – Now Available!
By day, sunshine and Southern hospitality. But by night, the ghosts of the Old South come alive…
I knew my Alabama Grandma couldn’t wait for me and my sister to come down from New York to see her new apartment in a grand old Southern plantation house. Of course, I had no idea the place was crawling with ghosts—or that a simple trip to Grandma’s would doom me to four nights in a haunted mansion.
More States Coming Soon!
Hooray for the Red, White, & BOO!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
E.G. Foley is the pen name for a husband-and-wife writing team who live in Pennsylvania. They have been finishing each other’s sentences since they were teens, so it was only a matter of time before they were writing together, too.
They are the authors of “The Gryphon Chronicles” historical fantasy adventure series (
The Lost Heir, Jake and the Giant, The Dark Portal
), as well as a contemporary series of shorter books called, “The United States of
Ahhhh!
-merica: 50 States of Fear” – spooky stories for kids set in all fifty states.
“E” is a 7-8
th
grade teacher of students who regularly use more than 10% of their brains, world traveler, ice cream connoisseur, and martial arts enthusiast. “G” loves big books and small fluffy creatures, and if she hadn’t become a writer, would have pursued a career as either a princess or spy—or possibly both. With millions of copies of her nineteen adult novels from Random House and HarperCollins sold in sixteen languages worldwide, she has been hitting bestseller lists regularly for the past decade.
Visit them on the web at
EGFoley.com
for fun story “Extras”, as well as videos, creative games, and tips for aspiring writers of all ages. While you’re there, please sign up for the E.G. Foley Newsletter, so you can be notified as soon as their next book is available.
Thanks for Reading!