An adaptation of the famous poem about a Christmas Eve visitor, set in Ireland.

Stephen had seemed enthusiastic about the walk, when Benny first invited him. He kept going on about how amazing it'd be, the two of them out in the wilderness - the landscape shots, the pubs, etc., etc. Benny didn't interrupt this stream of enthusiasm. They were in the car park of the Miners, and Benny was too busy concentrating on his own stream of piss. He didn't think about it at all until the next morning. When he remembered inviting Stephen, Benny laughed out loud - a single ha - then spent three minutes silent-screaming into his pillow. **** Benny thought that it would be him and his dad doing the walk. Just him and his father, hiking through the Welsh countryside, like they used to. Only, when his dad got ill, it became obvious that this would never happen. So Benny was forced to consider other options. If Benny is honest, him and Stephen haven't been close since school, but once Benny had drunkenly blurted out the invitation, he couldn't take it back. Now Benny and Stephen are on the walk. A walk Benny has vowed to finish, no matter how hard it is. But as food runs low and money runs out, Stephen and Benny find themselves stranded on the edge of the world, far from home, where the possibility of return is becoming increasingly distant...

'Powerful' Closer 'A darkly quirky story of love, obsession and fear . . . a beautiful story hung around the enchanting and heartbreaking voice of teenager Greg' Anna James Miss Hayes has a new theory. She thinks my condition's caused by some traumatic incident from my past I keep deep-rooted in my mind. As soon as I come clean I'll flood out all these tears and it'll all be ok and I won't be scared of Them anymore. The truth is I can't think of any single traumatic childhood incident to tell her. I mean, there are plenty of bad memories - Herb's death, or the time I bit the hole in my tongue, or Finners Island, out on the boat with Sarah - but none of these are what caused the phobia. I've always had it. It's Them. I'm just scared of Them. It's that simple. For fans of Sarah Winman, Junot Diaz and Maria Semple, Alice and the Fly is an unforgettable book about phobias and obsessions, isolation and dark corners, families, friendships, and carefully preserved secrets. But above everything else it's about love. Finding love - in any of its forms - and nurturing it.

"'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the town All the students and teachers had settled right down." Though everybody else has settled down for a long winter's nap, poor Principal Swell has his hands full. With state-mandated paperwork, computers to fix, bus routes to unknot, not to mention discipline and field trips and all the concerned parents, it seems heill never get back home to his own family Suddenly the school bell rings, and there stands a lively professor with a promise to fix, complete, or manage it all, since heis already sent the teachers home from the mall. With a few final words of encouragement, he takes off in his school bus: "Merry Christmas to principals--holiday cheer For they make Santa proud every day of the year "

The Golden Butterfly (1876) is a novel by Walter Besant and James Rice. Their fifth novel perhaps marks the zenith of their collaborative powers, capturing the spirit of adventure that defined the mythology of the American West. Epic and entertaining, The Golden Butterfly is a captivating tale for all audiences. "He was a thin man, about five and forty years of age; he wore an irregular and patchy kind of beard, which flourished exceedingly on certain square half-inches of chin and cheek, and was as thin as grass at Aden on the intervening spaces. He had no boots; but a sort of moccasins, the lightness of which enabled him to show his heels to the bear for so long a time." Gilead P. Beck is a fortunate man. Only moments away from losing his life to a voracious grizzly bear, a company of English prospectors happens to spot him running through the brush. With two shots, they drop the beast, rescuing Gilead and earning his undying gratitude. Together, they continue toward the newly established Empire City, where fortune or failure awaits every man at the edge of the American West. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Walter Besant and James Rice's The Golden Butterfly is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Golden Butterfly (1876) is a novel by Walter Besant and James Rice. Their fifth novel perhaps marks the zenith of their collaborative powers, capturing the spirit of adventure that defined the mythology of the American West. Epic and entertaining, The Golden Butterfly is a captivating tale for all audiences. “He was a thin man, about five and forty years of age; he wore an irregular and patchy kind of beard, which flourished exceedingly on certain square half-inches of chin and cheek, and was as thin as grass at Aden on the intervening spaces. He had no boots; but a sort of moccasins, the lightness of which enabled him to show his heels to the bear for so long a time.” Gilead P. Beck is a fortunate man. Only moments away from losing his life to a voracious grizzly bear, a company of English prospectors happens to spot him running through the brush. With two shots, they drop the beast, rescuing Gilead and earning his undying gratitude. Together, they continue toward the newly established Empire City, where fortune or failure awaits every man at the edge of the American West. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Walter Besant and James Rice’s The Golden Butterfly is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

With a team of recalcitrant longhorns pulling his sleigh, "Santy" pays a visit to a family on the Texas prairie, bringing gifts and Christmas cheer.

Stephen had seemed enthusiastic about the walk, when Benny first invited him. He kept going on about how amazing it'd be, the two of them out in the wilderness - the landscape shots, the pubs, etc., etc. Benny didn't interrupt this stream of enthusiasm. They were in the car park of the Miners, and Benny was too busy concentrating on his own stream of piss. He didn't think about it at all until the next morning. When he remembered inviting Stephen, Benny laughed out loud - a single ha - then spent three minutes silent-screaming into his pillow. **** Benny thought that it would be him and his dad doing the walk. Just him and his father, hiking through the Welsh countryside, like they used to. Only, when his dad got ill, it became obvious that this would never happen. So Benny was forced to consider other options. If Benny is honest, him and Stephen haven't been close since school, but once Benny had drunkenly blurted out the invitation, he couldn't take it back. Now Benny and Stephen are on the walk. A walk Benny has vowed to finish, no matter how hard it is. But as food runs low and money runs out, Stephen and Benny find themselves stranded on the edge of the world, far from home, where the possibility of return is becoming increasingly distant...