The boy possessed uncommon qualities, the girl was winsome and daring, and the ancient ghost … well, let it only be said that his intentions were good. If more heavily seasoned with romance, this might have made a tender tale, but there was yet another player in the cast, the Finder of Occasions, someone who moved freely about the village, someone who watched and waited, someone with tendencies so tortured and malignant that I could scarcely bring myself to see them, and even now can scarcely bring myself to reveal them to you. I will, though. It is a promise. I will. Let us begin on a May afternoon when the light was pure, the air scented with blossoms, and the sky a pale blue. Lovely, in other words, and brimming with promise. The village trees were in full leaf, and there, in the town square, under the shade of one such tree, a boy named Jeremy Johnson Johnson stood surrounded by three girls. Jeremy was a shy boy, so as the girls inched nearer, their eyes bright, he lowered his gaze.
