I'm standing on the kitchen table, my legs wobbly, my sword a little bent, my cape askew and choking me but I'm too engrossed to be bothered with trifles. A band of he-monsters are under the table and threaten to take my hard-won territory. I refuse to be distracted by anything. Until...

That deep booming voice and that countdown.

I'm on the move. I leap from the table to the bench, do a little roll over onto the floor and spring clear over the back of the couch to land smack bang in front of the television.

Thunderbirds are go!

And, suddenly, it doesn't matter that the he-monsters are beside me just as engrossed as I am, a truce called for one short hour. It's of no concern I've mashed my paper-roll sword or lost my tea-towel cape.

Scott Tracy and his brothers are on another rescue mission.

Then and there, I vow I'll be just as heroic when I grow up. Naturally, when we do get older, we discover there are many ways to be heroic and it doesn't take fantastic machinery or grand deeds to do it. It can come a little closer to home. But it is the visions we carry of our heroes that sustain us - sometimes even right to the end. Lots of things may pass away but there is one thing that does remain. The stories. The stories carry on, re-creating our imaginations, inspiring us anew and I hope this collection will do the same for you. Enjoy!