The Lovely Shadow

Escaping childhood without some kind of issues is a major accomplishment for most people. For Johnny Krimshaw, escaping alive was enough of an accomplishment to satisfy him.

Johnny's mother had always been a bit unstable, but when her firstborn son died in an automobile accident, she came completely unhinged, leaving seven year old Johnny in the care of an abusive lunatic.

After being rescued from his sadistic mother's grasp by his charismatic Aunt June, Johnny begins to question his own sanity when mysterious events begin happening around him. Adding to his doubts about his mental anchorage is the fact that he is growing emotionally attached to the unseen perpetrator of the events.

Love may hold the answers Johnny is looking for, but only if he can reconcile his feelings for a girl he has never seen, never spoken to, and isn't even sure exists. And if she does exist, the question remains: Just how long has she been dead?

Matters of the heart, however, are not Johnny's only problems. He has developed a mysterious ability that June's housekeeper, Miss Lilly, calls "The Eye". The Eye allows Johnny to see the spirits of the dead and, according to Miss Lilly, obligates him to help the dead whenever possible—whether he wants to or not.

Coming to terms with torture, love, loss, mysterious abilities, and adolescence is not easy, and Johnny must somehow find enough light within himself to shine brightly in a dark world or else risk fading into blackness himself.