Excerpt – The Phantom Firefighter by J.W. Jarvis
Synopsis
A supernatural journal. An overwhelmed kid. Can he lead a crew of first responders to success in a series of dangerous missions?
Noah loves his nighttime reading ritual with his dad. Stuck in a small new town after the pandemic caused his parents’ marriage to fracture, the curious thirteen-year-old happily explores the peculiar local bookstore. But when the lonely youngster takes home a firefighter’s old diary, he’s amazed when it transforms him into the book’s owner and transports him across space and time to a blazing building.
Distracted by a close friendship he’s developing with a smart schoolmate, Noah is certain the heat and confusion were just a frightening dream. But when he sits down to continue the fascinating story, he realizes he’s facing scarily real life-or-death situations… and his actions could change history.
Can he master the weird magic and make sure no one gets hurt?
The Phantom Firefighter is the action-filled first book in the First Responder fantasy series. If you like adventurous kids, clever humor, and pages jam-packed with suspense, then you’ll love J.W. Jarvis’s blending of reality and enchantment.
3% of all book sales go to First Responders Children’s Foundation, which provides financial support to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty.
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Excerpt
Noah and his dad heard a word whispered to them that they couldn’t understand, “Enciddugo!”
At that moment, Noah’s dad could see the burning building, hear the fire burning, and smell the heavy smoke. He looked down where his hands should be, but they weren’t there. Scared bystanders, large emergency vehicles, and busy firefighters surrounded him. He felt strangely attached to one of the firefighters, like he was floating above him. What had happened to his body? Was he dreaming this after reading about it in his son’s new book?
***
After hearing the same, strange word whispered to him, Noah felt a tingly sensation on his skin. It was like the feeling you get with goosebumps but way more intense. Like his dad, he could now see a large building partially on fire and many people and firefighters running near him.
What was happening?
He also felt the weight of something heavy on his body and head. He looked down and saw that he wore gloves and boots, which he was not wearing before story time with his dad.
Just then, Noah heard someone call “Zach!” and his instinct made him look up to see the firefighter that said it was staring right at him.
“Zach, snap out of it! The captain needs help in the building!” firefighter Ray exclaimed.
“What do you mean, my name is…” Noah caught his words realizing that he had never seen this person before in his life, and for some reason, this guy thought he was a guy named Zach.
“We need to get inside right away. The captain went in to check for remaining building occupants, and something happened.”
“How do you know?” Noah asked while still trying to internally process his transformation into Zach, the firefighter.
“You didn’t hear on your helmet headset? Captain said part of the ceiling came down, and he needs muscle,” replied Ray.
“Got it. Do we need to bring anything?”
“Jeez, Zach, why do you think they call me ‘Rookie Ray?’ You’re the experienced one here.”
“Alright Ray, follow me!” Noah said, thankful that he knew the name of the guy he was going into a burning building with.
Noah motioned to Ray to follow him toward one of the entrances. Noah headed toward the building with a strange mix of both nervous and confident feelings. His firefighter uniform was much heavier than he’d expected, but it gave him some comfort to know it would help protect him from dangers. He became anxious since he was entering a burning building without knowing anything about being a firefighter. Yet, his body was somehow mysteriously trained on what to do next.
About the Author
J.W. Jarvis lives in sunny California but is originally from the suburbs of the Windy City. When he’s not thinking of ways to create inspiring characters for young minds, you can find him reading, golfing, traveling, or just sipping a hot vanilla latte.
