Description
Fourteen year old Tobias Jennings is a boy carrying the weight of the world upon his shoulders. His foster carers’ inability to care for him and his nine year old sister Suzie has reached breaking point. Amidst the crisis Tobias is thrown a lifeline in the guise of Mr Dewsbury, the reclusive school caretaker, who comes to his aid during an attack from a school bully. But unbeknown to Tobias, Mr Dewsbury’s role as a caretaker is merely a cover for his real identity. Overshadowing the world in which Tobias lives is a sinister race of Sandmen, not to dissimilar to mankind in appearance, which prey on the very essence of mankind’s soul. They enter the human world through a vortex caused by the scattering of sand around their bodies and this is done whilst their victim is sleeping. Each Sandman is assigned a human via mental projection from the leader of their race known only as the Master. Their goal is achieved when they peel back the eyelids of an individual and plunge their hands in through the eyes to take some of their soul. This is retrieved in grain-like form and then poured into a glass phial. Once the deed is done they return to their own world and head for the chamber which contains a huge hourglass in which their prize must be stored. This process is necessary to sustain their race and keep them alive, so it is carried out forcefully and without reservation. However, there is one Sandman called Grindle who understands the injustice of his race and defects from the cause. He knows that the Master must be defeated but realises that this can only be achieved with the help of a human. He takes on the role of a human with the intention of finding an accomplice who is sufficient to defeat the Master. This has to be someone with a long life expectancy and someone who has endured great pain as this produces a powerful soul.
The Sandman
