Dark Glass by David Skynner

Cameron is the director of a once successful ‘Ghost Hunter’ TV show, now discredited as remorselessly and cynically faked, but on the crew’s final outing before being cancelled, he believes his prayers have been answered when they realise they have found the real thing; a being that appears to exist only in reflections. They are not mistaken, but the spirit that confronts them is as old as the world itself, powerful and knowing beyond measure and it has a purpose. Drawn initially to them by Cameron’s suicidal state of mind, it watches them and finds their darkest fears. ‘He understood now, that what he thought had died had not expired, but had instead, from shame, been pushed into an inner darkness. Once lost in that abyss, cast out from and denied the light of a place in his being, it had festered and grown ever more monstrous. Fool, be careful what you wish for; you cannot run from your own secrets, the things you cannot bear to countenance linger still, seeking a way out and though some might only hurt, others will kill.‘ The road to Heaven travels first through Hell and each must face and find a way to own what their personal demons have made of them. They face a desperate fight to survive, but battling the pain they have hidden from themselves they are already at a disadvantage. The spirit does not care if they survive or not for its purpose will be fulfilled either way, it cares only that they confront the truth. Dark Glass is a supernatural story, but is also a meditation on the psychological impact of trauma and how, if unresolved, it can have a lasting and damaging effect on the personality and freedom of those affected. It is based on the author’s own experience and that observed in other people he knows. The story is also a screenplay and will shortly be produced as a feature film, starring John Hannah in the lead role of Cameron.