The following diary extracts are part of the Darren Shan archives, made available to us by the archive director. The entries are from Annie Shan's diary. Annie was very young when her brother first met Mr Crepsley at the Cirque Du Freak, and these pages were written around that time. She included no dates, and though we could have filled them in, we have chosen to present the entries as they were written. Any spelling mistakes are reproduced as they appear in the diary.

ANNIE SHAN’S DIARY

Wednesday. Got 9/10 in my spellings today. Teecher says I’m getting better all the time. Maya brought a new yoyo in and showed off tricks with it. She can do loads of stuff. I asked Dad to get me a yoyo for my next birthday but thats ages away. I wish I had one now. I hate wayting.

Thursday. Darren had news. One of his dumb frends found a piece of paper about a special circus called the Sirk Doo Freek. The people in it are all weird. He said theres a snakeboy, a wolfman, and a bearded lady. It sounds great. He wants to go to it but I don’t think he’ll get in. I’d love to go but I know he won’t take me even if he goes. I don’t care. I’ll go to all the Sirk Doo Freeks I want when I’m older and I won’t take him to any. I’d really like to see a bearded lady though. It must be weird to have a beard. I hope I don’t ever grow one.

Friday. Darren’s going to the Cirque Du Freak!! (He told me how to spell it proper.) Steve got tickets and the two of them are going. Theyre going to sneak off to it, becos Mum and Dad wouldn’t let them go if they knew. Why does all the good stuff happen to Darren? Why don’t I ever get tickets to freak shows? Its rotten. But he said he’d bring me back something so its not too bad I suppose. I hope he’s OK at it. I don’t want him to get eaten by the wolfman or snakeboy!

Saturday. He left tonight with Steve. Told Mum and Dad that he was staying at Steves house. I asked him to bring me a picture of the bearded lady but he says he doesn’t think they allow cameras there. If they get caught, he’ll be grounded forever! Hee-hee-hee!!!

Sunday. Darren said the Cirque Du Freak was great. He bought me a toy spider to play with. He says it looks just like madam Octa, a poisonos spider in the show who killed a goat while everyone watched. That bit sounded horrible! He also bought me candy spider webs which were delishus. I made him tell me all about the circus. It sounds scary. The wolfman bit off a womans arm, and the man who owns the Cirque Du Freak sewed it back on! I wish more than ever now that I could have gone, but Darren looks like he didn’t enjoy it as much as he says. He’s very white and shook a lot of the time as if he was cold. Also he came home by himself and told Mum and Dad that he and Steve had had a fight. I asked him about Steve but he wouldn’t say anything about him. I don’t know why.

Monday. I had a nightmare about the wolfman and the spider. I dreamt the wolfman bit my arm off. Then a spider sewed it back on with webs, but then I turned into a spider. It was horrible and scary. I hope I dream it again tonight!!

Tuesday. Woke very early this morning. Had to go to the toilet. The door of Darren’s bedroom was open and I saw he wasn’t in bed. I checked downstairs but he wasn’t there. Later, I heard him come in before Mum and Dad woke. He got back into bed and pretended to be asleep when they called him for school. I don’t know where he was or what he was doing. I’m dying to ask but he’d think I was spying on him. He behaved even weirder tonight. He sat in his room all night, only came down for dinner, and he was white as a ghost. Mum thinks he might be sick but he looked more scared than sick to me.

Wednesday. Darren better. Smiling and cheery. Even bought a pizza out of his own money tonight and gave me a slice! Boys are WEIRD!!!!!

Saturday. Went shoping with Mum. Got four big bags full of great clothes and hats. Can’t wayt to try them all on. Darren was playing a flute when we got back. It was really just a tin whistle but he calls it a flute. Mum thought it was great but I think he was no good. I could play it much better. He says he found it. Why don’t I ever find stuff like that? Rotten!!

Wednesday. Hardly seen Darren all week. He’s been in his room playing his stupid bloody flute all the time. I don’t know why he’s so mad about it. If it was my flute I’d be bored with it by now. Mum says he might become a music-player when he grows up but I don’t think he’s good enough. He won’t even give me a go on it, the rotter!

Friday. Dad made Darren let me use the flute, but he took it back from me as soon as Dad was gone. He sits in his room playing it all the time. I’m sick of it. Tomorrow I’m going to bust in and take it from him and throw it away. That will teach him to let me play with his stuff and to stop being so rotten!

Saturday. Oh no! Oh please! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it! He should have told me. I didn’t know. I must stop writing now. We have to hurry to hospital. Oh please don’t let him die. PLEASE!!!!!