So… forgive me, I don’t quite know where to start. The day Harriet went missing? Well, it was the day they all did. All the village children I mean.

No, Inspector, no warning. They just… disappeared.

Anything unusual? Well, come to think about it, maybe there were a few odd incidents in the days leading up to it.

Like what?

Well, for one, Harriet’s hair turned a pale violet color. That pretty, angelic blonde hair all gone, leaving an insipid, grey-violet color in its place. I mean how does that happen? It’s not natural, it just isn’t.

Yes.

Her best friend, Jess - her hair changed too - and a few others, apparently. Yes, same color. A light greyish-purple.

The other things that happened?

Well there was Mr Brunson, the school caretaker.

He came bellowing at the top of his lungs into our town hall meeting two days before it all happened. He was screaming blue murder. Something about all the plants dying in the school overnight. We just thought some juveniles might have decided it would be fun to douse everything with weed killer or something.

And then there was the river. I didn’t see it myself but Carol from down the road said her brother went fishing there yesterday, and all the fish were floating downstream, belly up. Something had killed them all. Poison or something.

What else?

Our neighbor’s boy, Sam. He went missing for the afternoon. Fred and Shiela were beside themselves with worry, of course.

And when he returned, ee’ his eyes… goodness gracious. Never seen anything quite like it.

Doctor couldn’t figure out what had happened. I mean, who’s eyes turn like that? Honestly, it sent a shiver right through me. They looked reptilian, almost - like you were looking into the eyes of a boa constrictor.

Doctor referred him to a specialist. They were supposed to take him down to London in a couple of weeks’ time for an appointment. I guess that’s all by the by now. Unless you find them all, Inspector.

You will… find them all… won’t you?