---:Humboldts secrets is the original present day beginning to Barkermouth and Bloomdell. In the final edit I decided to cut the present day aspect from the book and make it solely an historical story. So here you are, this is the original beginning:----(The end of the last bonus chapter will lead to chapter 1 the very first chapter)

Looking into the small credit card sized mirror of the car's visor, Stirling felt, as well as looked, old. With his index finger he pulled tight the sagging skin below his eyes, resulting in the temporary banishment of the wrinkles that with old age had turned into gaping ravines. He thought his eyes had a rummy look to them, a milkyness clouded them. His doctor had told him it looked to be the onset of cataracts, and that he should see his optician as soon as possible. Thinking about it now, he had to smile at the irony. It had been during his consultation with the doctor about the results of his CT scan, that he had notice Stirling's cloudy eyes. Doctor Moon had broken the devastating news. The scan proved that the migraines Stirling had been suffering were due to an aggressive malignant brain tumour, a terminal condition. The doctor had apologized and told him he could expect ten, possibly twelve months of normality before the cancer became unavoidably noticeable. He had decided he would keep his condition a secret, especially from his two beautiful girls.

'Well,' thought Stirling as he inspected his old tired face 'What can you do, Mmm? Oh well.' Sighing, Stirling sat back and rested his hands on the steering wheel of his White ford focus. It was a new feeling for him to be the one who was dying. Over the years he had always been the one picking up the pieces of his life after he watched the ones he loved die around him. He had always believed that his family had been cursed, so many of his children and grandchildren had died in their twenties and thirties, some of illness, others the victims of tragic accidents. One of his boys, Jeremiah, had died in battle whilst fighting for Queen and country. Each death had always left behind an orphaned child. A child he would take in and raise as a son or daughter. All he had left now after so many lost children was his granddaughter Kate and her six year old daughter, Laurie. He smiled at the thought of the little scamp's face.

He prayed that it wasn't a curse that dogged his family, if it was then there would be no hope, and no real future for his girls. Stirling came from an age where coincidence was dismissed and patterns and connections were sort out, from an age where unusual events that repeated themselves must be due to the occult or worse, God's wrath. Doctors had told them it all boiled down to bad luck and DNA. Stirling now pinned his final hopes on modernity. Science and scientists were the new church of this day and age, he knew. If it was down to family genetics then his girl may have a chance of a long life after all. But he knew he no longer had to worry. He wouldn't be around to find out either way. He just had to believe that they would be OK.

Looking back into the visor's mirror, he sighed and frowned at himself. 'Yes, I feel old, old and tired.' It was his turn to die, and he gladly accepted his fate. Although the girls would miss him and he would miss them, he was ready to go.

Stirling gazed into the street and spied the occupants of cars lining the curb outside Borden's secondary school. Most were women, mothers he supposed. One or two were staring back in his direction. He guessed they were deciding if he was there for the same reason they were- waiting for their children to finish after school clubs. Or maybe he was an interloper, an uninvited, waiting not for a son or daughter but for a victim. Stirling nodded politely to them, hopefully easing their anxiety. It seemed to be expected these days to find a wolf stalking outside every school gate in the country. Who better than the ever watchful eyes of mother-kind to keep watch over their young.

Stirling caught movement out the corner of his eye, and turned to see the school gates open, and a flood of children come streaming out, excitedly searching for their parents. From the back of the crowd a young girl skipped along. Her long blonde hair tied in bunches bounced on her shoulders. Seeing her grandfather she ran to his car and banged on the window. Throwing open the door, she jumped into the passenger seat, talking frantically in that shouting voice all boisterous children seemed to possess.

"Hey Granddad,' she said climbing over to give him a hug and kiss 'Have you anything nice for me?'

Laughing, he hugged her back. Once Laurie was sat in her seat Stirling held out both his clasped hands and said 'Maybe. Choose one.' He laughed again as she excitedly looked from one hand to the other. 'Well, my sweet, which shall it be. The hand with the lolly or the hand with rabbit poop, hmm?'

He loved Laurie very much. Stirling watched her and for the umpteenth time marvelled at how alike she resembled a beautiful woman from long ago, a woman that had been very important to him, and had broken his heart at her passing. Stirling had even caught himself almost calling Laurie by her name. His heart ached at the thought of her.

'I'll be with you soon my love.'

Laurie looked at her grandfather as he stared off into the distance and repeated 'Granddad. I said that one.' this time she patted his right hand breaking him out of his daydream.

'Oh, I'm sorry, dear' he blinked his eyes and smiled sadly at her 'I was just remembering a beautiful Lady that I once knew.'

Laurie studied his face and frowned 'You look sad, did she hurt you. Was she mean, Granddad? If she was, I'll tell her off for you.' she gently touched his cheek.

Stirling smiled at her and had to swallow away the painful lump in his throat and blink away the tear that threatened to fall and wet his cheek 'Oh no, sweet child. She didn't hurt me. She loved me as I loved her. But she had to go away and I miss her a great deal.' Stirling smiled reassuringly.

'Don't worry, my sweet, I'm fine.' he said clearing his throat 'So, which one?' He raised his hands and shook each one in turn to help steer her away from the subject 'This one or this one, hmm?'

Like most children, the promise of sweeties had her attention firmly diverted. Laurie's eyes were fixed on his hands and the task of finding her lolly, first and foremost in her mind. 'That one.' she blurted out and tapped his right hand again 'That one, that one.' She bounced up and down in her seat and giggled loudly as her Grandfather revealed her prize.

'Ta,daaa!' He gave Laurie the lolly and watched her speedily discard the wrapper and begin to chomp away. He smiled sadly and thought, 'everything will be fine, my sweet. Everything will be fine.'

The surprising and familiar sound of a long loved tune rang out in the enclosed space of the car. Memories flooded his mind as the orchestral symphony swept him off into the past. His emotions were already delicately balanced on top of sadness after his short conversation with Laurie. The music easily wrapped him up in fond memories. The 'Viennese Waltz' held him fast. He relived the single and only time he and his love had ever danced to the sound of those beautiful violins, as their soft cries propelled them across the ballroom floor. The two lovers spun round and around. Even after all this time he still found it painful to think about. A tear rolled down his cheek. He had never again danced to the Waltz. He had never again danced.

The unexpected moment of emotion had made his heart ache. Looking at Laurie, he realised that the young girl resembled his long lost love in more ways than one. He shouldn't have been surprised that she was able to innocently tug at the strings of his heart.

Laurie stopped eating her lolly. 'Are you going to answer that, Granddad?' she asked, looking at him quizzically.

Stirling's brow creased 'Answer?' he asked.

'Your phone, it's ringing. I put a new ringtone on it for you. Do you like it? I heard you listening to it once. So I got mummy to find it and secretly put it onto your phone. As a surprise.' she giggled 'You like it?'

Stirling wiped away the tear and forced a smile onto his face for her. Running a finger through the fringe of her hair, he said, 'Beautiful music from my beautiful princess. Thank you, my sweet. I love it'

Taking out his phone he pressed the answer button and spoke.

'Hello?'

Within moments of hanging up the call Stirling had Laurie strapped tightly into her seat and the car motoring down the street. Laurie sat beside him, quietly crying. Her lollipop dropped into the carpeted footwell, forgotten. Stirling's heart raced as he threw the car around a corner and headed up Borden high street towards the county hospital. Glancing sideways at Laurie he said, 'Don't worry, my sweet. The policeman said mummy wasn't badly hurt. Just a few bumps and bruises, that's all. She was a good girl and was wearing her seatbelt.'

All the same, Stirling accelerated whilst thinking 'Oh no, it's happening all over again.' He knew, if this was the return of the curse, he would have to live. And although he had already decided not to do so, he did have a way to survive, even though the doctors had not. Stirling turned the car into the hospital grounds and slammed on the brakes. With Laurie in his grasp, he rushed across the busy car park and headed through the automatic doors labelled A&E.