One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy...seven for a secret, never to be told!
Alex Farmer has a secret that even he cannot comprehend. He has a recurring dream where he finds himself running from something or someone and being hunted down by the police. In the dream, he finds a mysterious package hidden behind the wall of his childhood bedroom - its contents are quite disturbing. But what does it all mean? What has Alex done? What do the magpies know about his past?
Alex takes us back to 1986. As a boy growing up during the '80s in the Southwest of England, Alex had a lot to contend with. He was bullied at school for being "different" - being gay was part of it. He was fascinated by disaster and nuclear war, fanatical about the English singer-songwriter Kate Bush, and desperate to make friends, leading him to create a fantasy world in which he could take revenge on his attackers.
Misunderstood and somewhat lonely, his only relationships were with his faithful dog and his Masters of the Universe figurines. Alex's life was made especially miserable by a troublesome juvenile named Danny Gillard, his chief tormentor. Alex wished he could be like He-man and destroy him, but that was just a fantasy of his.
What if Alex one day found himself with the perfect opportunity to put an end to Danny's bullying once and for all? What if he had a chance to erase Danny Gillard from his life forever? No-one would ever find out, would they? After all, you don't have to fall far to die.
In this dark psychological mystery, we find out just how far someone might go to remove a particularly nasty thorn in their side. How far would you go to improve your chances of survival? Or do you happen to think that your destiny is already mapped out for you? It's a question Alex asks himself often. Alex asks a lot of questions. For you, there will be only one: What part did Alex Farmer play in the fall of Danny Gillard?
