Grist Vergette's Curious Clock
David Carter
- Johnny
- Vergette
- is
- repairing
- an
- old
- bike
- in
- the
- garage
- when
- his
- mother
- calls
- him
- into
- the
- house.Grist
- Vergette,
- his
- grandfather,
- passed
- away
- a
- few
- weeks
- before,
- and
- Johnny’s
- inheritance
- has
- just
- arrived.
- It’s
- a
- key.
- The
- key
- to
- Grist’s
- old
- garden
- shed
- down
- on
- the
- allotments.Johnny
- goes
- outside
- where
- he
- meets
- Seri,
- the
- German
- neighbour’s
- daughter,
- and
- the
- two
- of
- them
- set
- off
- in
- the
- sunshine
- for
- the
- allotments.They
- discover
- the
- shed
- is
- not
- like
- other
- sheds.
- It’s
- bigger
- and
- better
- built
- and
- immaculately
- maintained.
- Inside,
- they
- discover
- a
- myriad
- of
- interesting
- artefacts
- dating
- back
- to
- World
- War
- II.Medals,
- plans,
- model
- ships,
- Morse
- code
- equipment,
- photographs,
- dusty
- TOP
- SECRET
- plans
- and
- files,
- convoy
- plotters,
- old
- money,
- vintage
- engineering
- magazines,
- wristwatches,
- and
- an
- old
- travelling
- clock
- that
- does
- not
- work.Johnny
- tosses
- it
- disdainfully
- to
- one
- side
- and
- continues
- rooting
- through
- his
- newly
- acquired
- treasures.
- Clearly,
- the
- main
- purpose
- of
- this
- shed
- is
- not
- gardening,
- but
- what
- is
- it?The
- alarm
- on
- the
- old
- clock
- goes
- off.
- Seri
- jumps.
- It
- folds
- back
- in
- on
- itself
- and
- closes
- with
- a
- slick
- click.
- It
- begins
- to
- pulse,
- louder
- and
- louder:
- VUM!
- VUM!
- VUM!Something
- very
- strange
- is
- happening.
- The
- great
- adventure
- is
- about
- to
- begin.David
- Carter’s
- “Grist
- Vergette’s
- Curious
- Clock”
- is
- out
- now
- in
- paperback
- and
- as
- an
- Ebook.
- 175
- pages.
- A
- compelling
- read!Carter,
- as
- in
- all
- his
- work,
- creates
- solid
- three-dimensional
- believable
- characters
- and
- these
- protagonists
- are
- no
- exception,
- as
- with
- those
- less
- attractive
- characters
- they
- meet
- during
- their
- adventure.One
- feels
- an
- instant
- empathy
- with
- their
- youthful
- curiosity
- yet
- Carter
- generates
- a
- fear
- which
- cleverly
- puts
- the
- reader
- one
- step
- ahead
- as
- this
- story
- moves
- from
- the
- seemingly
- benign
- merging
- with
- a
- gathering
- plot
- gaining
- rapid
- nail-biting
- momentum
- towards
- the
- end.This
- work
- has
- been
- accurately
- researched
- and
- presents
- a
- well
- documented
- view
- of
- the
- period
- giving
- substance
- to
- an
- unusual,
- very
- interesting
- perspective
- and
- makes
- for
- an
- exciting,
- entertaining
- tale
- which
- nicely
- rationalises
- itself
- back
- to
- reality.David
- Carter
- is
- a
- gifted
- writer
- who
- can
- switch
- genres
- with
- ease.He
- has
- the
- ability
- to
- create
- context,
- devise
- sound
- characters
- and
- clever
- plots
- which
- keep
- the
- momentum
- going.This
- story
- reflects
- all
- that
- is
- excellent
- about
- his
- work
- and
- I
- can
- highly
- recommend
- it.Margaret
- Henderson
- Smith
- –
- Author
- of
- “Amber”
- and
- “The
- Turn
- of
- the Tide”.
