A novel by the author of the acclaimed "Jet Smoke and Dragon Fire" which was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Award and the W.H.

Smith Mindboggling Books Award."Whatever he tried to look at, whatever he tried to think of, it always came back to the one thought: a dog, a dog, a real living dog - a dog of his own...";This is the story of Billy Stuart.

It tells of the hours he spends on the hills, catching rabbits in his bare hands or walking with his beloved dog, Drift; it tells of his troubles, his shocking accident and the mysterious events leading up to it.

But it's the story too of the narrator Theresa Thain.

Her account of what happened eleven years before is interspersed with extracts from her diary of the following year, revealing her complex, often frustrating relationship with Billy.

The two stories, though separate, are inextricably linked in their absorbing attempts to get to the heart of a seemingly impenetrable enigma.Charles Ashton's first novel "Jet Smoke and Dragon Fire" was the first book in the Dragon's Fire trilogy.

It was followed by "Into the Spiral" and "The Shining Bridge".Charles Ashton has also written two stories for younger children "Ruth