The Padfoot

By Ethan Solace

THE PADFOOT - A Folk Tale Reimagined

In a quiet English village where everything is meant to behave, shutters tap with no wind, signposts sway as if they're listening, and the lanes feel... watched.

For generations, the locals have whispered about the Black Dog-Padfoot. A bad sign. A walking warning. The kind of story people use to frighten children into coming home before dark.

Adam notices first. He's the sort of boy who hears the world in small details and understands that "quiet" isn't always safe. So when a large black dog appears at the edge of the green-calm, patient, impossibly present-Adam doesn't run. He stays. And the dog stays, too.

What follows isn't a monster story. It's something stranger: a gothic, tender folk tale where fear has teeth, but companionship has weight. Because sometimes what walks beside you in the dark isn't there to chase you. Sometimes it's there to keep pace. And sometimes the only way through what's coming is not bravery... but being accompanied.

Haunting and atmospheric, yet threaded with warmth and quiet humour, The Padfoot is a literary folklore retelling about loneliness, belonging, and the things we mistake for omens when we don't have a better language for grief.

Open the book. Step onto the lane. Listen for the tap of a shutter.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FNMRCTMB
• ISBN13: 9798262077977
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 146 Pages
• Weight: 0.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.5" x 8.5"