Family is a Gift

Bellingwood wasn't prepared for hundreds of strangers to descend on the little town because of a video game release. It happened anyway. Downtown Bellingwood was taken over by outsiders - young and old, wearing costumes and carrying fake swords. The festivities for the Sword Lords II release center around Doug Randall's new comic book store, Boomer's Last Stand. The store is also the focus of angry vandals. What began as nasty graffiti got much worse. Is the dead gorilla's curse real?Shops are filled with people ready to spend money and every capable person is put to work. Polly Giller moves from the coffee shop to the comic book store, to Sycamore House, Greene Space, and out to the bed and breakfast to help hold her friends together.Once the game release festivities were past, Polly hoped for rest. Not in Bellingwood. A thief's audacious break-ins disrupt her neighborhood, while accusations are aimed right at her household. To top it off, Polly's fortieth birthday is on the horizon. No one has talked about any grand plans. Maybe they will let her get away with a small celebration. A dinner with a few friends, a party with family. That would be enough. You know better, right?Welcome back to Bellingwood.