Pen PALS

Was it really him? The boy she had written to all those years ago

- Carly McIntyre

There was a big poster in the window... Barnaby Johnson will be signing copies of his new book, The Ringmaster and the Dragon, here on Friday.

Marylou made a mental note. She would go to the signing, but she wasn't going to read the book. Ever since her husband passed away, she hadn't been a big reader. Anyway, she hated fantasy, didn't like stories set in some kind of imaginary universe. She preferred novels rooted firmly in the real world.

The reason she was going was because it would give her a chance to study the author... Barnaby Johnson. Now there was a name from her past. Over 50 years ago, he had been her pen pal. Maybe...

Back then, her English teacher wanted her sixth formers to perfect the art of letter writing, so she had reached out to schools in other parts of the country to find pen pals for her students. Marylou down in Cornwall had been paired with Barnaby up in Cumbria.