The rest of the story overflows like a waterfall. What happened? What’s wrong? Hands carefully touch my arms and lead me forward, deeper into the cooled air of the building. The words, soft and cajoling, like speaking to a child, grate on my nerves, but I clutch onto them like a lifeline. The shocked faces around me are a blur, the blood pounds in my ears, and I try to speak the words to get them to move. I throw open the glass doors, and I am screaming for help before I can form a coherent thought. I allow myself three breaths-one, two, three-then with a choked sob, I push myself up on shaky legs and run along the pavement, through the parking lot of Jay’s Diner, towards the entryway. It stings and knocks the breath from me, but I don’t have time for pain. My knees hit the edge of the grass, and the heels of my hands slap down hard onto cracked pavement. I come through the edge of the trees so suddenly that the change from leaf litter to grass trips me. I push my exhausted limbs further, further, just a little further. The thought should give me a burst of strength, but the adrenaline drains from me like flour through a sieve. I can see the brick of buildings and concrete through the edge of the trees. I try not to think of what I’ve left behind in the woods and what might be happening. My heart beats in my brain, a loud thump to accompany the pounding of my feet on the forest floor. I run, adrenaline thick like mud in my veins. Silhouette of a wren amidst branches Prologue Rubin, Author of Amulet of Wishes Read more Reading this book feels like having someone wrap a warm blanket around your shoulders and tell you that everything will be all right.' - Rita A. '.Not only is it a cleverly written mystery with gripping twists and turns and compelling characters, it's also full of heart. Along the way, I might discover I'm not alone as I thought. When my uncle appears to me in my dreams, I quickly learn what started as a search for answers is so much more: a journey into the town's shady past to uncover a danger in the woods lost to time. My only hope of unravelling the truth is Jethro a chatty newcomer that appears earnest, but can I trust him? Instead, Adrian Turney, my uncle's friend and mentor, is found dead in the woods.

I want to withdraw from the town into the comfort of birdwatching and forget everything. Until he dies, and I can't do anything to stop it. All I need are the birds and my uncle Jeremy. My smart mouth, brash behavior, and being non-binary in this secluded southern town keep me on the periphery of Spastoke's society. I spend my time trying to find the Trickster-a finch treasured by the locals.

I don't mix well with people I prefer the birds. 'There are wonders and terrors out there you can't yet imagine, and people out there you don't yet know are family.'

The Fable of Wren by Rue Sparks