Giovanni Del Ponte was born in Turin where he lives in an attic flat looking over the river Po with his partner Giovanna, who is his greatest fan and harshest critic, as well as their cat Lilli-Tove and another cat who makes its unauthorised entrances from the roof. He is very fond of comics and cinema, and between the ages of fourteen and thirty he directed short films, which included Futuro remoto, a science fiction comedy and a tribute to the Italian Walt Disney, Romana Scarpa. When he writes, he attempts to evoke the same emotions he felt as a child when watching films or reading comics and books. So far he has written four books in a series called Gli Invisibili: Il segreto di Misty Bay (Sperling & Kupfer, 2000), La strega di Dark Falls (Sperling & Kupfer, 2001), Il castello di Doom Rock (Sperling & Kupfer, 2003) and L’enigma di Gaia (Sperling & Kupfer, 2005). He has also published the short story La leggenda della masca Ciattalina in the collection Tantestorie (Ega Editore, 2004). His books have won the following awards: the "Premio Nazionale di Narrativa per Ragazzi Comunità Montana dell’Alto Crotonese" in 2003, the Premio ”Bancarellino” in 2004, and the Premio ”Giovanni Arpino” in 2005.

GLI INVISIBILI E IL SEGRETO DI MISTY BAY (The Invisibles and the Secret of Misty Bay)

“The Invisibles and the Secret of Misty Bay” is a ghost story with a blend of fantasy, humour and fear.

Two boys and a girl all age 12, all of a very different personality, must face a supernatural event which will put their lives in danger and at the same time, bring out the best in them.

The adventure is genuinely frightening but contains humoristic flashes, and is enjoyable for all ages.

The story also offers some profound thoughts helping the viewers reflect upon the state of growing up: physical changes, difficulties of maintaining personal ideals and remaining faithful to themselves.

Setting

The story is set in Misty Bay, a small, imaginary and hazy town on the peninsula of Monterey, California.

The Storyline

Douglas decides to spend his holiday with his uncle Ken in Misty Bay, a small town on the California coastline. It’s there that he meets Peter and Crystal. Crystal has special magical powers passed on by her grandmother, who is also a friend of uncle Ken.

All three find themselves mixed up in an episode which involves the death of Crystal’s grandmother and some childhood friends of uncle Ken.

The true-some find themselves with a diary dating back to the 1930’s. It reveals the story of the local mayor, Angus Scrimm, who in order to increase his magical powers, decides to sacrifice some children he has  captured. Only with the help of uncle Ken and his gang known as the Invisibles  are the children able to be saved. The gang is also able to cast a spell upon the wizard by trapping him in a cave. It appears that Angus Scrimm has returned for revenge.

The Theme

Ambition and fight for power and wealth can transform even those people with the clearest ideals. Instead, those who follow the path of other ideals, such as loyalty and friendship, never grow old.

The three protagonists:

Douglas Macleod is the principal character. He is 12 years old. Overweight, clumsy, absent-minded, is also generous and has an extraordinary sense of humour. He collects comics and loves snacks. His power is that of being a "door", in fact he can open new space and time dimensions. He lives with  his father (his mother died when he was a child) who is constantly changing cities due to his work. For this very reason Douglas has grown up without any stable friendships. He is not particularily brave, likes reading and is a little overweight. He suffers from sudden lapses of consciousness of which he hasn’t discussed with anyone. When he reaches Misty Bay he experiences ever more frequent visions of past  events in Misty bay when  the  Invisibles defeat the wizard Angus Scrimm. For the greater part of the story Douglas has only one wish – to return home safely. However, we are able to see his heroic and generous nature throughout the entire story. Furthermore, this disturbing  and terrifying experience is able to weld together a bounding friendship between himself, Peter and Crystal. Finally, he finds true friends.

Crystal Cooper is also 12 years of age. She’s the leader of the Invisibles and a very lively girl. The classical tomboy type who is not afraid to mix with the crowd. She has telepathic qualities. Neither of her parents are alive and was under the care of her grandmother who taught her the arts of magic. She however is now dead being the first victim of the wizard. Crystal decides to hide until she finds her grandmother’s killer. She’s the first one in town to realise something is wrong and decides to face the situation all by herself. This is shortlived because she comes across Douglas and Peter.

Peter Peaky aged 12, shy and with spectacles, looks like a nerd at first sight. He does not have any special powers other than his extraordinary, above-average intelligence which often helps him and his friends to get out of all sorts of trouble. He is also popular among the boys of Misty Bay for his pedantic ways, and for this reason he gets on very well with Douglas. He is also secretly in love with his classmate, Crystal.

Other characters

Kendred Halloway, better known as uncle Ken, is also an ex member of “the Invisibles. He’s a dreamer and an unselfish man, married to Hettie. He is the founder and director of the local library. In the end he’ll fight side by side with Douglas, Crystal and Peter to defeat evil.

Angus Scrimm is the mayor of the city at the time when uncle Ken was young. He was in reality a wizard  who captured children for rituals of sacrifice in order to become a supreme wizard. The young Invisibles stopped him, but now he has returned. 

Robert Kershaw, known as “The Bloodhound” is a determined and mysterious journalist who reaches Misty Bay following the track of a young gang of ghosts who call themselves the Invisibles. They have been appearing all around The United States where children are in difficulty.

Damon Knight, the ex leader of  the Invisibles spent most of his life in South Africa where he has millions of dollars to his name. Now however he returns to his hometown to help uncle Ken and his old friends. He will also play a determining role by the end of the story.

Aunt Hettie is uncle Ken’s wife. She’s a comical character and it’s only on the surface that she seems dopey. She stays with her husband right until the end.

The Subject Matter

The Invisibles, a gang made up of 6 young people (around the age of 12) face possible life threatening danger. The lives of three children taken prisoner depends on them. They launch an attack on the villa where the children have been taken prisoners but the magic from the wizard is too powerful, with terrible results.

We discover that all of this is just a film that Douglas is watching on board an aeroplane. When a hostess passes in front of the screen he realises that the film has completely changed. Was it all a dream? How strange!

Around the same time, a journalist called Robert Kershaw investigates the appearance of a young gang of ghosts known as the Invisibles. His tracks lead him to Misty Bay, a small hazy town on the Californian coast.

Douglas arrives at his destination which just happens to be Misty Bay where he is put up for the holidays by his uncle Ken and aunt Hettie. There is a thick fog over the town when uncle Ken goes to pick him up, and a mysterious figure appears by the roadside.

Uncle Ken manages to break just in time to avoid the mysterious figure who turns out to be Peter Peaky. He is of the same age as Douglas and is being followed by Lance and his gang of local thugs. Uncle Ken invites him to dinner and Douglas gets on well with him right from the start.

Throughout dinner they speak about one of their classmates, Crystal Cooper, who seems to have disappeared since the death of her grandmother two days earlier. They fear the worst considering that she was already orphaned and was now left completely alone.

During the night a certain Mark Warrick dies in mysterious circumstances, but he is able to write down a name: Angus Scrimm.

Douglas is awakened from his sleep by his uncle who utters the words «The Invisibles» – the exact name that Douglas had dreamt on the aeroplane...

The next day Peter brings Douglas to visit the caves on the cliff. Lance and his mates chase them but they are able to lose them thanks to a mysterious ally who disappears into the midst. A few hours later Lance wakes up sitting on the town clock, naked from head to toe with a sign hanging from his neck saying: “Don’t mess with Peter Peaky. The Invisibles”. The firemen help him as the onlookers mock. The journalist Robert Kershaw is quick to the scene and confirms with a sense of personal satisfaction: “I’m on the right track!”

In the evening, Douglas follows uncle Ken from a distance where he is going to visit the home of the eccentric psychic reader, Greta Rowlands. At the same time he will also meet another old man by the name of Devlin Stevenson.

The boy comes across a figure in the bushes which turns out to be no less than Crystal, who was the one who saved him from Lance and his thuggish mates. The girl who had seemingly disappeared invited him to follow her. She had news for him.

In the villa uncle Ken spoke with the strange people. They fear that Angus Scrimm has returned and is responsible for the deaths of the pensioners Mark Warrick and Susan Cooper. This is followed by a disturbing conversation from which these are the more compelling parts. “Do you think that one of us still has the book?” “Damon is missing but he must be out of town” “Somebody has to warn him that his life is in danger!”

In the meantime Crystal reveals to Douglas that the people murdered all have something in common. In their youth they had created a gang called the Invisibles of which uncle Ken, Greta Rowlands and Devlin Stevenson were all members. At  this moment in time Crystal is spying on the ex Invisibles to discover if they have anything to do with the death of her grandmother Susan. Crystal also reveals that during that time the Invisibles were also using supernatural powers. Thanks to her grandmother, she has learned to manage the telepathic powers. Douglas reveals that his uncle has always kept the diary. The two agree to meet the next day to look for the diary of 1930.

Later, Crystal goes to Peter’s where he secretly leaves her a plate of food on the window ledge every night.

During the night Douglas has another nightmare. He sees his uncle Ken when he was his age, running to the police asking them for help against Angus Scrimm who he accuses of having captured the missing children. Not only do they not believe him but he is also held for the night under guard. The anxiety of uncle Ken doesn’t stop there as he knows the rest of “The Invisibles” are about to confront the mayor who is in reality a wizard.

Douglas wakes in a pool of  sweat.

The next day Peter  and Crystal go to find Douglas, and thanks to the girl’s magic powers they are able to find the diary hidden by uncle Ken.

They quickly discover upon reading the diary that in 1930 the Invisibles were investigating the case of a maniac who kidnapped little children, identifying him as Angus Scrimm, who was, to their great surprise, the mayor of the town. He was in fact practicing black magic and intended to sacrifice the little children to an evil divinity in order to gain the higher power of supreme wizard.

Damon, the leader of the Invisibles, with the help of a book about the science of the occult taken, from Scrimm by Ken, was able to understand that the only way to face him would be on his own territory. He therefore proposed to the gang to carry out a ritual which was written in Scrimm’s book. In return for this they would become immune to the magic thrown at them by the wizard.

At this point Douglas, Peter and Crystal are attacked by a magic spell and the diary disappears.

The gang refuses to give in and make an oath: they will be the new Invisibles.

Douglas and Peter continue to investigate in the library, filtering through newspapers from that period. Uncle Ken catches up with their tracks and he implores Douglas to abandon this investigation. The nephew however tells him that he knows about the Invisibles.

In the meantime Damon Knight appears on the scene. He is the only one of the Invisibles not to have appeared yet. Uncle Ken leaves the conversation with Douglas to later.

When they are alone Damon assures uncle that he doesn’t have Scrimm’s book. He also expresses his deep concern about the return of the wizard. He then goes back down memory lane to their youth and the ideals they believed in, asking him to join him in South Africa with his multi million dollar business activities. Despite the offer, uncle Ken refused. All he cares about is his library and helping the boys nurture their fantasy.

That night our heroes decide to monitor the houses of those still alive. Douglas, who lives near to Damon, will keep watch on his house and that of his own uncle.

During the night however Douglas suffers another attack of a magical sort. Crystal and Peter run to his aid. This was all a ploy to divert their attention from another: Devlin, the man who was under Peter’s observation. Scrimm had got the better of them once again.

The day  after Douglas, Crystal and Peter meet up in a cave by the cliffs. They are running out of time to find The Book of Magic, Malartium. Crystal believes that something could be by hypnotising Douglas. This is even more probable considering the fact that he had had various premonitions in the past. They hypnotise him and thanks to the telepathic bridge created by Crystal herself, they are able to witness the terrible confrontation between the Invisibles and Scrimm. All of them apart from Ken that is, who was locked away under guard at that moment. The gang carries out a ritual swearing loyalty and friendship, along with their ideals to fight for justice. They face the wizard but it turns out to be no easy feat.

Then comes the big scene. Douglas enters the dream at the most critical moment acting as a shield for Damon, the leader of the Invisibles who himself is about to receive a blow. Thanks to Douglas’ sacrifice, the Invisibles are able to imprison the wizard in a cave on the cliffs of  Misty Bay. However the wizard is able to cast another spell upon them: «If you can’t remain faithful to the ideals of your youth, you’ll eventually have to deal with yourselves!»

At the end young Damon throws the book about the science of the occult in a deep underground opening.

When Douglas wakes again in the cave the boys discover to their horror that the cave where Scrimm was imprisoned is now empty.

Douglas is terrified of falling asleep and having horrible nightmares again. That night, Crystal remains with him to guard and keep him calm.

The next day, at the funeral of Mark Warrick, Crystal remains aside. Despite this, she is approached by Robert Kershaw, the journalist, whom he associates with the incident concerning Lance (the bully found naked at the bell tower) he starts to ask numerous questions about the Invisibles and as a result, the people surrounding realize that she is Susan Cooper’s, missing granddaughter. Damon intervenes to help the girl. There is a scuffle between the two until eventually the sheriff arrives. He proceeds to arrest Kershaw for questioning. The people call for Crystal to be put in the care of social services, since she has non family. Damon intervenes again and offers to take care of her. He manages to persuade the sheriff due to his dear friendship with Susan and his high standing in society. Crystal is happy with the idea and everything seems to have worked out well.

The psychic reader Greta Rowlands is trying to find Angrus Scrimm by reading the cards. In the meantime, Damon shows Crystal his new house. She’s happy but wonders why she’s not able to read the man’s mind. She tries to feel if Scrimm is near or in danger, and from now on her search is parallel to that of Greta Rowlands.

In fact the woman finds a hostile connection between Damon, Scrimm and his villa. The ending is disturbing, but we are not able to discover it because at that moment he is attacked by a magical power. Just before she dies the cards give her one last enigmatic message… The original Invisibles are returning.

On that particular evening, Douglas, his uncle, and aunt and Peter go to find Crystal in Damon’s manor. The uncle has another opportunity to speak to his old friend and some disturbing realities about the ex leader of the Invisibles come are revealed.

They finally discover that Damon is gifted with magical powers. He makes fantastic proposals to uncle Ken about recreating the world with his magical powers. But Uncle Ken refuses (Damon has always misunderstood his idealistic stories) and goes on the counterattack. Maybe he’s got something  to do with the death of their friends. Damon admits himself to having killed for the fear of being discovered. He stuns uncle Ken and uses Crystal as a hostage while he sends Douglas and Peter to retrieve the book on the science of the occult, which is supposedly in a cave on the cliffs. Crystal is able to maintain contact with the boys using her extraordinary telepathic powers; and furthermore, she helps them carry out their mission.

In the meantime, the sheriff accompanies Robert Kershaw to the train station to make sure he leaves town, but the journalist is able to jump from the train without being noticed and heads towards Knight’s manor.

After a long weary search with all kinds of incredible adventures Douglas and Peter are able to find the book of magic. Crystal believes she now understands everything: that’s why Scrimm seems to be present in the house because he has taken total control over Damon. She therefore makes a desperate appeal to Damon to regain control of himself. He laughs at the idea and drags her underground. She wants to know what Angus Scrimm has to do with the whole affair? Without responding, he locks her in a cell with a mysterious old man.

The old man reveals himself to be Angus Scrimm. He said that Damon had kept him prisoner to learn all his magical secrets. So that he could imitate his actions, carrying out the same terrible deeds.

Robert Kershaw tries to free his uncle and aunt, but ends up being captured himself. The journalist finally throws a bit of light on the young ghost gang, the Invisibles, telling the story of when they defeated a criminal organisation in Chicago responsible for the kidnapping of little children.

In the meantime, Douglas and Peter bring to Damon the book on the science of the occult. Damon imprisons Douglas with Crystal and Scrimm, but he keeps Peter with him. He needs him to be sacrificed in a ritual which will elevate him to the position of supreme wizard.

However, there may still be the chance to defeat him, because when Scrimm sees Douglas he greets him as the person who will destroy Damon.

Crystal explains to Douglas that Angus Scrimm, who is now very old and who no longer has interests in practicing magic, has always been Damon’s prisoner

«In the cave I’ve had a lot of time to reflect upon my past», says the aged wizard.

This is where Damon makes his fatal error. The old man has had plenty of time to work out a plan of action for Damon’s eventual destruction. This would happen by bringing Douglas to him and then using him as the connecting force to the old Invisibles. In fact, when he cursed Damon in the cave («If you can’t remain faithful to the ideals of your youth, you’ll eventually have to deal with yourselves!»), duplicates of the Invisibles, the original ones in flesh and blood continue to age, while their spiritual counterparts remain in limbo. When Douglas was born, the gates of limbo had opened, giving them freedom to return to the world. During Douglas’ loss of consciousness the ghosts that Robert Kershaw had been searching for were able to reach their earthly state in order to help the needy children.

In the meantime Ken is freed from his imprisonment with the help of the journalist.

At last, the ghosts of the original Invisibles are able to defeat Damon thanks to the fact that he had betrayed the ideals of his youth. On the other hand, uncle Ken was able to help them since he had maintained his declared values.

In the end, Douglas, Crystal, and Peter realise that the old Angus Scrimm has escaped. Has he really changed or must they expect further surprises from him in the future?

 – THE END –

GLI INVISIBILI E IL CASTELLO DI DOOM ROCK

(The Invisibles and the Castle of Doom Rock)

Douglas's parents force him to attend the last years of school at Doom Rock Boarding School, a building so big that the locals cali it a castle.

Besides the strict rules, Douglas has to cope with a group of bullies

who constantly make fun of him because of his weight problem.

"Feeling" his cry for help, Crystal decides to go and see him with Peter just to discover...

- the terrible secret hidden in the depths of the castle!

- entities lost in time which threaten even Douglas's life!

- a mystery that must be solved before it's too late!

- a new breath-taking adventure for the Invisibles!

Read an english chapter!

GLI INVISIBILI E L'ENIGMA DI GAIA

(The Invisibles and the Mystery of Gaia)

300 pages

An unprecedented experiment takes place at the New Era Studies Centre, where a team of telepaths join forces to increase the scope of their mental prowess. The trial is successful and the telepaths unexpectedly intercept an SOS from far, far away. Who sent it, and where from exactly? And why does a secret commando try to kidnap Pumpkin, the youngest member on the telepathic team? The Invisibles will have to protect her. Between chaotic climate changes, balloon flights and trips to the Amazonas, our young heroes will eventually discover that the message came from Earth itself – a planet on the verge of an environmental catastrophe. Will the Invisibles manage to outrun time and save the Earth with the help of a mysterious cybernaut called Captain Nemo?

Awards:

1.      "Premio nazionale di narrativa per ragazzi Comunità Montana dell'Alto Crotonese" (2003): “Gli Invisibili e la strega di Dark Falls”.

2.      "Bancarellino" 2004: “Gli Invisibili e il castello di Doom Rock”.

3.      "Giovanni Arpino" 2005: “Gli Invisibili e il castello di Doom Rock”.