Gristle in the Stew: A Fairy Tale from the Stricken Forest

Many years ago, deep within a dark forest lived a young boy with his grandmother. They lived in a tumble-down cottage, set in a pretty glade. They had a good life, ate very well and wanted for nothing. The grandmother was a good cook and when the boy had friends from the local villages to stay, she made sure that they only had the finest cakes and the sweetest candy to eat. But the friends never stayed long, they disappeared in the night and were never seen again. One day a new friend came to stay. She was very pretty and sweet and he hoped she wouldn't disappear like his other friends. But something was lurking within the forest, something monstrous, dark and evil. His grandmother always told him not to be frightened, there was no such thing as monsters and she would always look after him. But his grandmother was hiding a secret. A secret so awful that soon the boy found his world turned upside down. Who or what was he? His journey to find the answers would take him out of the Stricken Forest and into the villages far beyond. There he would discover who the real monsters were...and he wouldn't like the answers.