My Special Book (short story)

My Special Book was a short story published on 13 October 2011 in The Brilliant Book 2012. Its author was uncredited, instead being "written" by George Thompson, the protagonist of the story.

Plot
George Thompson, aged seven and a half, writes in his "buk" about his fears, after his Mum gave him a blank book to write what he thinks about and what he sees.

He first mentions that his Mum and Dad have to turn the lights off in a certain order, which makes George feel temporarily safe. He writes about things he likes, such as "X Facters". However, there are many things he does like, which he describes as "flat"; he takes the book as an opportunity to share his secrets — his fears — that he doesn't tell his parents.

George writes about an experience in his school about a rhyme he learned, about a woman who lived in a shoe with lots of kids, but what George's school doesn't know is that an old woman — Mrs Rossiter — lives across from George's family, and George suspects that she is actually a witch. George's dad tries to tell him otherwise, that Mrs Rossiter is just a kind old lady, but George is convinced he knows the truth. While George believes that Mrs Rossiter is a witch, he notes that her flat isn't made of sugar like in Hansel and Grettel, though he is thankful of this as otherwise he would be lured there and try to eat the flat.

At night, George struggles to sleep due to all the noises that scare him, such as the lift that makes a groaning noise. However, George doesn't believe that the noise comes from the lift, but from something that is breathing heavily in his room, like a dragon or a monster, which is living inside the walls like the snake in Harry Potter.

Characters

 * George Thompson
 * Alex Thompson
 * Claire Thompson
 * Mrs Rossiter

Continuity

 * This story is set about a year prior to the events of TV: Night Terrors.
 * George likes his lights switched off five times in a row. (TV: Night Terrors)
 * George is scared of the noise the lift makes at night. (TV: Night Terrors)