Penny Arcade

Where The Past Never Dies

By: Roger David Francis

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

PENNY ARCADE

A family day out. A carnival secret buried for sixty years. A reckoning that none of them will escape.

It is the summer of 2026 and a family trip to a celebratory event at Sutton Park, Birmingham, should be nothing more than a warm weekend of funfairs, live music and candyfloss. But something is waiting for them inside a weather-beaten wooden building at the back of the fairground. The sign above the door reads Penny Arcade, and once the door slams shut behind them, the past is about to come calling.

At the heart of the arcade stands an ancient gypsy fortune teller, sealed behind glass and watching with painted eyes that know far too much. One by one she forces each member of the family to confront a buried secret. A ruthless stepmother hiding the darkest of motives. A charming boyfriend with a predator's instincts. A daughter carrying a wound she has never spoken aloud. A father concealing a truth that will shatter his family. And Ralph, the grandfather who has spent sixty years not quite remembering the night his best friend vanished without trace.

Because in 1955, an eleven-year-old boy crawled inside a gypsy's cabinet in this very arcade. And he never came out.
In the tradition of Stephen King's ability to make the ordinary terrifying and the quiet menace of Shirley Jackson, Roger D. Francis delivers a chilling tale of guilt, secrets and supernatural justice. Fans of James Herbert's atmospheric dread and the brooding suspense of Susan Hill will find themselves utterly gripped.

Sutton Park holds its breath. The gypsy is waiting. And for some of them, the fortune she tells will be the last thing they ever hear.

Put a penny in the slot. Find out what you deserve.