The 1,000-year-old Boy



FirstpublishedinGreatBritainbyHarperCollinsChildren’sBooksin2018

Publishedinthisebookeditionin2018

HarperCollinsChildren’sBooksisadivisionofHarperCollinsPublishersLtd,

HarperCollinsPublishers

1LondonBridgeStreet

LondonSE19GF

TheHarperCollinsChildren’sBookswebsiteaddressis

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Textcopyright©RossWelford2018

Coverdesign©HarperCollinsPublishers2018

Coverillustration©TomClohosyCole

RossWelfordassertsthemoralrighttobeidentifiedastheauthorofthis

work.

AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.

AllrightsreservedunderInternationalandPan-AmericanCopyright

Conventions.Bypaymentoftherequiredfees,youhavebeengrantedthe

non-exclusive,non-transferablerighttoaccessandreadthetextofthisebook

onscreen.Nopartofthistextmaybereproduced,transmitted,downloaded,

decompiled,reverseengineered,orstoredinorintroducedintoany

informationstorageandretrievalsystem,inanyformorbyanymeans,

whetherelectronicormechanical,nowknownorhereinafterinvented,

withouttheexpresswrittenpermissionofHarperCollins.

SourceISBN:9780008256944

EbookEdition©December2017ISBN:9780008256951

Version:2017-12-13



PraiseforThe1,000-year-oldBoy:

‘Boastsalltheingredientsofagreatbook:bravekids,boldstorytellinganda

blisteringplot.Fullofhumourandheart’AbiElphinstone,authorofThe

Dreamsnatcher

‘The1000-year-oldBoyisabreathtakinglyepicstorythatyouwon’tbeable

toputdown.InAlfie,RossWelfordhascreatedanunusualandfascinating

boywhoyouarerootingforrightfromthefirstword.Anoriginal,surprising,

movingandcompellingread–Ilovedit’M.G.Leonard,authorofBeetleBoy

‘AwonderfulstorytoldwithWelford’strademarkwarmth,witandcleverness.

Anothergreatreadfromoneofmyfavouritemiddle-gradewriters’Kiran

MillwoodHargrave,authorofTheGirlofInkandStars

‘Acrackingstoryaboutfamilyandfriendshipthatspansallages’Christopher

Edge,authorofTheManyWorldsofAlbieBright

‘Delightful,charmingandfilledwithhumour.Thisisauniqueanduplifting

taleofaboywholivesathousandyears,yetstillremainsyoungatheart’

PeterBunzl,authoroftheCogheartAdventures

Contents
Cover
TitlePage
Copyright
PraiseforThe1,000-year-old-Boy
PartOne
Alfie
ChapterOne
ChapterTwo
ChapterThree
Aidan
ChapterFour
ChapterFive
ChapterSix
ChapterSeven
ChapterEight
ChapterNine
ChapterTen
ChapterEleven
ChapterTwelve
ChapterThirteen
ChapterFourteen
ChapterFifteen
ChapterSixteen
ChapterSeventeen
ChapterEighteen
ChapterNineteen
ChapterTwenty
ChapterTwenty-one
ChapterTwenty-two
ChapterTwenty-three

ChapterTwenty-four
ChapterTwenty-five
ChapterTwenty-six
ChapterTwenty-seven
ChapterTwenty-eight
ChapterTwenty-nine
PartTwo
ChapterThirty
ChapterThirty-one
ChapterThirty-two
ChapterThirty-three
ChapterThirty-four
ChapterThirty-five
ChapterThirty-six
ChapterThirty-seven
ChapterThirty-eight
ChapterThirty-nine
ChapterForty
ChapterForty-one
ChapterForty-two
ChapterForty-three
ChapterForty-four
ChapterForty-five
ChapterForty-six
ChapterForty-seven
ChapterForty-eight
ChapterForty-nine
ChapterFifty
ChapterFifty-one
ChapterFifty-two
ChapterFifty-three

ChapterFifty-four
ChapterFifty-five
PartThree
ChapterFifty-six
ChapterFifty-seven
ChapterFifty-eight
ChapterFifty-nine
ChapterSixty
ChapterSixty-one
ChapterSixty-two
ChapterSixty-three
ChapterSixty-four
ChapterSixty-five
ChapterSixty-six
ChapterSixty-seven
ChapterSixty-eight
ChapterSixty-nine
ChapterSeventy
ChapterSeventy-one
ChapterSeventy-two
ChapterSeventy-three
ChapterSeventy-four
ChapterSeventy-five
ChapterSeventy-six
ChapterSeventy-seven
ChapterSeventy-eight
ChapterSeventy-nine
ChapterEighty
PartFour
ChapterEighty-one
ChapterEighty-two

ChapterEighty-three
ChapterEighty-four
ChapterEighty-five
ChapterEighty-six
ChapterEighty-seven
ChapterEighty-eight
ChapterEighty-nine
ChapterNinety
ChapterNinety-one
ChapterNinety-two
ChapterNinety-three
ChapterNinety-four
ChapterNinety-five
ChapterNinety-six
ChapterNinety-seven
ChapterNinety-eight
ChapterNinety-nine
ChapterOneHundred
ChapterOneHundredandOne
ChapterOneHundredandTwo
ChapterOneHundredandThree
ChapterOneHundredandFour
ChapterOneHundredandFive
Author’sNote
KeepReading…
BooksbyRossWelford
AboutthePublisher

Wouldyouliketoliveforever?IamafraidIcannotrecommendit.Iamused

toitnow,andIdounderstandhowspecialitis.OnlyIwantto stop now.I

wanttogrowuplikeyou.

Thisismystory.MynameisAlveEinarsson.Iamathousandyearsold.

More,actually.

Arewefriends?Inthatcase,justcallmeAlfie.AlfieMonk.

SouthShields,AD1014

Wesatonthelowcliff,MamandI,overlookingtherivermouth,andwatched

thesmokefromourvillageoverontheothersideplumingintotheskyand

mixingwiththeclouds.

EveryonecallstherivertheTyne.Backthen,wepronouncedit‘Teen’,but

itwasjustourwordforriver.

As we sat, and Mam wept and cursed with fury, we heard screams from

across the water. The smell of smoke from the burning wooden fort on the

clifftopdriftedtowardsus.People–ourneighboursmostly–huddledonthe

oppositebank,butDagtheferrymanwasnotgoingtogobackforthem.Not

now: he would be killed too. He had run away from us, stammering

apologies,assoonashisrafthadtouchedtheshore.

Abovethepeoplecoweringonthebank,themenwhohadcomeinboats

appeared. They paused – arrogantly, fearlessly – then walked over to their

prey,swordsandaxesattheready.Isawsomepeopleenteringthewaterto

try to escape. They would not get far: a smaller boat waited mid-river to

interceptthem.

I lowered my head and buriedit inMam’s shawl,but shepulled itaway

andwipedhereyes.Hervoicetrembledwithrage.

‘Sey,Alve.Sey!’Thatishowwespokethen.‘OldNorse’itiscallednow,

oradialectofit.Wedidn’tcallitanything.Shemeant,‘Look!Lookatwhat

theyaredoingtous,thosemenwhohavecomefromthenorthintheirboats.’

ButIcouldnot.Gettingup,Iwalkedinakindofdazeforsomedistance,

but I could still hear the murder, still smell the smoke. I felt wretched for

being alive. Behind me, Mam pulled thelittle wooden cart thatwas loaded

withwhateverstuffwe’dmanagedtofitontoDag’s,riverferry.

MycatBiffawalkedbesideus,dartingintothegrassonthesideofthepath

inpursuitofamouseoragrasshopper.Normallythismademesmile,butI

feltasemptyasifIhadbeencutopen.

Amileortwoon,MamandIfoundacaveinadeep,shelteredbay.Thesun

wasstrongenoughtousetheoldfire-glassthathadbelongedtoDa:acurved,

polishedcrystalthatfocusedthesunlightintoathinbeamthatwouldstarta

fire.Iwasscaredtheraiderswouldcomeafterus,butMamsaidtheywould

not,andshewasright.Wehadescaped.

Threedays later,wesawtheirboatsheadingout toseaagainandImade

thebiggestmistakeofmylife.AmistakethatIwaitedathousandyearstoput

right.

Ifyouwanttoaskme,‘Whydidyoudoit?’,goahead:Idonotmind.Ihave

askedmyselfthatmany,manytimes.Istilldonotknowthewholeanswer.

All I can say is that I was young, and very, very scared. I wanted to do

something–anything–thatwouldmakemefeelstronger,betterabletohelp

Mam,betterabletoprotectusboth.

AndsoIbecameaNeverdead,likeMam.

Itbeganlongago,andwhenIsaylongagoImeanages,literally.Thisis

whathappened.

Myfatherhadownedfiveofthesmallglassballsthatwerecalledlivperler.

Life-pearls.

They were the most valuable things we possessed. Mam said that they

mightbethemostvaluablethingsintheworld,ever.

Peoplehadkilledtoobtainthem;Dahaddiedtryingtokeepthem.Andso

wetoldnoonethatwehadthem.

Nowtherewerethreeleft.OneforMam,andtwoformewhenIwasolder.

Iknewallthat.Mamhadtoldmeenoughtimes.‘Notuntilyouaregrown,

Alve.Youmustbepatient.’

ButIcouldnotwait.

On the third evening in the cave, while Mam was out looking for fresh

water, I opened the little clay pot and took out the livperler.Although they

wereold,theglassmarblesshoneinthehalf-twilightfromoutside,thethick

liquidwithinseemingtoglowamberwhenIheldonenearthefire.

Biffa sat up on a little rocky shelf on the opposite side of the fire, her

yelloweyesshiningliketheglassballs.Didsheknow?Shemewled:thelittle

cat-growl that made us think she was talking to us. Biffa often seemed to

knowthings.

Crouching on my hunkers, I took the knife, the little steel one that had

belongedtoDa,withthebladethathingedintothewoodenhandle,andheldit

to the flame. I glanced at the mouth of the cave to check I was alone, and

swallowedhard.

WhenI drewthehot blade twiceacross my upperarm,the bloodseeped

out. Two short slashes, like the scars Mam had. Like Da had had. I do not

knowifdoingittwicemadeanydifference;probablynot.Itwasjusttheway.

ItdidnothurtuntilIusedmythumbstopullthewoundsapart.Ibitdown

onthelife-pearlandtheglasscracked.Theyellowishsyrupoozedoutlikethe

blood from my cuts. I gathered it on my fingertips and rubbed it into the

wounds.ThenIdiditagain,andagain,untiltherewasnoneleft.Itstung,like

afreshnettleinthespring.

Whathappenednextwasanaccident.Ihaveplayeditoverandoverinmy

mind, like people play ‘videotapes’ today. Could I have done anything

differently?

Idonotknow.

IthinkBiffawasjustcurious.Shecannothaveknown–but,asIsaid,she

wasaveryknowingcat.Suddenlyshegaveanotherlittlegrowlandleaptat

me,rightacrossthelowflamesofthefire.Theknifewasstillinmyhandand,

without thinking, I raised it: a defensive reflex. It nicked her front paw

slightly,butshedidnotmewlagain.Whenshelanded,Ispunroundand,in

that action, my tunic dislodged another life-pearl from the low rock shelf

whereIhadplacedthem.Iwasunbalanced,andmybarefootcamedownon

it,hard,anditcrackedopen.

Istaredatit,horrified,forafewseconds.

It was bad enough that I had disobeyed Mam’s orders. But I had now

wastedanotherpreciouslife-pearl.

Thethickamberliquidbegantodripoutoftherock.Thinkingonlythatit

shouldnotbewasted,IgraspedBiffabythelongskinofherneckandrubbed

theliquidintohercutpaw.

(Itwasnotmischief,asIsaidtoMamagainandagainovertheyears.Iwas

justtryingnottowasteit.)

ThenIwrappedupmyarmwithalongstripofcleancloth,andtiedanother

roundBiffa’s leg. Shedidnot evenseemto mind.Shelicked herwhiskers,

yawned and curled up again. I could see Mam’s shape against the blue

twilightskyasshecamebacktothecavewithabucketofwater,andIwas

overwhelmedwithshame.

IsometimesthinkIstillam.

Bythen,Ihadseenelevenwinters.

Iwastostayelevenyearsoldformorethanathousandyears.

Allofthathappenedagesago.

I have tried telling my story before, but I soon learnt that people do not

want to know. Ihave toleave out crucial details like the life-pearls, and so

people think I am teasing them (at best) or that I am dangerously mad (at

worst).

SoIstayschtum,asyousay.

Isometimeswonderifpeople’sreactionswouldbedifferentifIlookedold?

Thatis,ifIwerewrinkledandstoopedandbald,withaquaveryvoice,and

huge, veiny ears and badly fitting clothes. Then again, people would not

bother with the ‘teasing’ bit, would they? They would immediately assume

thatagehadsentmemad.

‘Bless’im, oldAlf,’theywouldsay.‘He was on about the Vikings again

today.’

‘Was’e?Aww.ItwasCharlesDickensyesterday.Reckonedhe’dmethim!’

‘Really?Pooroldsoul.Mind,he’sharmless,in’the?Awaywiththemixer,

like,butharmless.’

Asitis,Idonotlookoldatall:Ilookabouteleven.

AtthepointIstoppedageing,theVikingshadmoreorlesscompletedtheir

occupationof north-easternEngland.It wastheScots thatMamand Iwere

fleeing. It was to be another fifty or more years before the south of the

countrywasinvaded:1066,bytheNormans(whowerebasicallyVikingswho

hadlearntFrench,ifyouaskme,butnobodydoes.Nor-man,north-man–you

canseethelink).

And,incaseyouareinterested,IdidmeetCharlesDickens,butnotuntil

many,manyyearslater.

See?Youdonotbelieveme,doyou?Icannotreallyblameyou,seeingasI

am the last remaining Neverdead on earth. And, now that Mam has gone,

livingforeverisnolifeatall.

The trouble is, if you do not believe me, what chance do I have of

convincingAidanLinklaterandRoxyMinto?IwillneedtheirhelpifIamto

liftthecurseofmyendlesslife.

AndiftheydonotbelievemethenIam,asyousaythesedays,stuffed.

IshouldprobablystartbytellingyouwhyI’mhackedoff.Getitoutof

theway.ThenwecangetontohowIcametomeetAlfie,andmylife

changedforever.

WhitleyBay,presentday

Forastart,we’vemovedhouse.That’sbadenough.Butgetthis:

1.It’sasmallerhouse.Muchsmaller,withhardlyanybackgarden

–justascruffyyardthat’swaytoosmalltokickaballin.Mum

has reminded me (more than once) that I’m lucky to live in a

housewithanyoutsidespaceatalland,whenshesaysthat,I

feel guilty, and sorry that I even mentioned it because I know

why we’ve moved. Thing is, my friend Mo, who lives in a flat,

used to come round to our old house because he had no

garden,butnowthere’snopoint,isthere?

2. If people come to stay, I will now have to share a room with

Libbywho’sapainatthebestoftimes.She’ssevenandlikes

MyLittlePony.

3.InigoDelombra,who’sinmyyearatschool,nowlivesinmyold

house.Ithinkheevenhasmyoldroom.Hesmirksatmeevery

timeIseehim,asiftosay,‘Yousadloser.’

At least I haven’t had to move school, but, with the way things are

goingwithSpatchandMo,Imightaswellhave.

Another thing: Mum and Dad are arguing all the time. They’ve

alwaysargued–‘bickering’theycallit–butlatelyit’sbecomelouder,

andtheythinkIdon’tnotice.It’smoney–alwaysmoney.Idon’tknow

thedetails.AllIknowisthattheymadea‘badinvestment’,andMum

saysitwasDad’sfault.Mumnowworksinacallcentreandhatesit.I

foundLibbylisteningatthetopofthestairstheothernight.

Shesaid,‘Aretheygoingtogetdivorced,Aidan?’

Ihadtosay,‘No,ofcoursenot.’Herchinwobbledbutshedidn’tcry.

Not in front of me, anyway, which is just as well because it would

probablyhavesetmeofftoo.

Sowiththatlotoutoftheway…

Be honest. If some kid that you’d just met told you he was a

thousandyearsold,whatwouldyourreactionbe?

You’dlaugh,maybe,andsay,‘Yeah,right!’

Oryoumightignorehim–youknow:don’tprovokethenutter,and

allthat.

You could, I suppose, come back with a zinger, like, ‘And I’m the

QueenofSheba.’

OK,soI’mnotbigonzingers,butyougettheidea.

So when Alfie said to me, ‘Aidan, I am more than one thousand

yearsold,’obviouslyIdidn’tbelievehim.

AndthenIhadtobecause,althoughitwasunbelievable,itwasthe

truth.

But,forittomakesense,I’mgoingtohavetorewindabit.

We moved in – me, Mum, Dad, Libby – at the start of the Easter

holidays, and everything was unpacked in three days. My Xbox was

smashedinthemove.IaskedMumifIcouldgetanotherone,andshe

just gave this sad-sounding little laugh, which I suppose means no.

She said we had ‘other priorities’ and that made me feel bad for

asking.

Ihadtherestoftheholidaysstretchingoutbeforeme.

‘Call upyour friends, go downon the beach,’ said Mumevery five

minutes.

Problem with that was Spatch was away in Naples with his Italian

grandparents,wherehegoeseveryEaster;worse–he’dinvitedMoto

gowithhim.Andnotme.

IpretendedIwasn’thurtwhentheytoldme,butIwas.WhenItalked

toMumaboutit,shewasalllike,‘Ohwell–wecouldn’thaveafforded

theairfare,anyway,sonoharmdone,’butthat’snotthepoint,isit?

Spatchwasabit embarrassed,I think. Hesaid itwasbecausethere

wasn’troomathisgrandparents’farmhouse,butI’veseenpicturesand

it’s huge, and besides I’d have been happy to sleep on the floor. I

nearlysaidthat,butI’mgladIdidn’t.

To‘putthetinhatonit’asDadsays,AuntyAliceandUncleJasper

cametovisit.AuntyAliceisOK,butJasper?Sheesh.

I know Dad wasn’t happy because I heard him moaning to Mum:

‘Can’t they stay in a hotel, for heaven’s sake? It’s not like we’ve got

loadsofspace.’

‘She’smysister,Ben.’

Dadjusttuttedandrolledhiseyes.

So,dayfouroftheholidays.AuntyAliceandJasperhadarrivedthat

morning,andIhadmovedintoLibby’sroom,onanairbed.Shewasat

BrowniecampforthenextcoupleofdayssoatleastIwasn’tactually

sharingwithheryet,butstill…

Weallsatinthekitchenamongtheboxesleftbytheremovalfirm.

Dad’snotworkingatthemoment,sohewasathomeandhemadetea

and asked about Jasper’s boat (it’s a ‘safe topic’, apparently). Mum

fussedoverAuntyAlice’sblouse.AuntyAliceismucholderthanMum

andJasperismuchyoungerthanAuntyAlice,although–thankstohis

beard–helooksolderthanbothofthem,ifthatmakessense.

AfterAuntyAlicehadsaidhowmuchI’dgrown,justabouttheonly

thingdirectedatmewasJaspersaying:

‘Andwhataboutyou,son?Areyougettingenoughoftheoldfresh

stuff?Youlooklikeaflamin’ghost!’andthenhegrinned,showinghis

longwhiteteeth,asifhedidn’t reallymeanit, butIcould tellthathe

did.

AuntyAlicesaid,‘Aw,Jasper,helookslovely!’,andMumsaidtohim

withthefaintestedgetohervoice:

‘He’sfine,Jasper.Aren’tyou,Aidan?’

I noddedvigorously, asif by noddingI could showmy uncle thatI

was–toborrowoneofhisphrases–‘asfitasalopp’.

Hewenthmphh,andadded,‘Seaair.Abitoftheoldventummaris.

That’swhatyouneed,son,’thentookanoisyslurpofhistea(black,no

sugar).

Hetalkslikethatalot,doesJasper.SofarasIcantell,hehasno

regional accent, and no foreign accent, either. At times, he sounds

slightlyAmerican,andatothersmoreAustralian,whenhisvoicegoes

upattheendofasentenceasifhe’saskingaquestion?It’shardto

workout.HewasborninRomaniaandhasnarrowdarkeyes–almost

black–behindtintedglasses,andhe’slivedinlotsofcountries.

I asked him once where he was from. ‘Just call me a nomad,’ he

said,baringhisteeth.Betweenyouandme,I’mterrifiedofhim.

With my milk finished and having heard the words ‘prime minister’

comefromunderJasper’sbeard,Ifigureditwastimetomakemyself

scarce.Onceanyonementionsthegovernment,theconversation–so

farasI’minvolvedinit–isnotgoingtoimprove.

‘I’mgoingoutside,’Isaid,andIgotagruntofwhatmighthavebeen

approvalfromJasper.

Itwasgoodtogetoutofthehouse.Ididthatbigbreathe-in-through-

your-nosethingandexhaledwithaloud‘Haaah!’

Ourhouseisontheveryedgeoftheoldbitoftheestate.Thereare

about ten tiny houses in a row, and then the new houses start next

door. Over our back fence is just woodland. The woods don’t even

haveaname,sofarasIknow.They’rejust‘thewoods’or‘thatbitof

woodlandbeyondthegolfcourse’.

It would be really cool if there was a gate in the back fence that I

could just open and be in the woods, but there isn’t, so it’s just this

woodenwall,basically,attheendoftheempty,rectangularyard.

Ononesideisanalleywaypiledupwithjunkandsmellingofcats’

wee.There’sanoldmattress,andarustywashingmachine,andabin

linerspilling oldclothes.Dad saysit’sthe council’sjob toclearit up,

but they’re obviously not interested. On the other side of Junk Alley

livetwoladieswithshortgreyhair,SueandPru,whoMumhasalready

met and declared ‘very nice’, adding, ‘One of them is a doctor.’ (I

always thought doctors were quite well paid, so I don’t know why

they’relivingroundhere.)

Their yard has been turned into a neat, paved garden, and they

haveaboutfiverescuecats.(DadsnortedwhenMumtoldus.‘Never

trustanyonewithmorethantwocats,’hesaid,whichIthoughtwasa

bitmean.Ikindoflikecats.)

Ontheothersideofusisanothergarden,aproperonewithgrass,

separatedfromouryardbyaricketyfence.

SoonthemorningitallstartedIwasstandingtherewithmybackto

the fence, staring at the old houses made of dirty bricks. Half of the

houseslook asthoughthey’re notevenoccupied and acouple have

gotbrokenwindows.Nowonderourhouseischeaptorent.Mumand

Dadsayit’sonlytemporary.

‘Hello,Aidan!’

I looked about, startled, but I couldn’t see anyone.Then the voice

laughed:ashortbarkofhigh-pitchedglee.Agirl.Ididafull360,trying

toworkoutwhereitwascomingfrom.

‘Overhere!’

‘Where?’ I said. And then, ‘Ow!’ as something hard hit me on the

cheek.Afewsecondslater,somethingwhizzedpastmynose.

‘Hey!Stopthat,’Isaid,andtheterrier-barklaughstartedagain.Then

Isawit:theyellowtubeofaballpointpenwithdrawingthroughalarge

holeinthebackfence.Someonewasusingitasapea-shootertofire

paperpelletsatme,andshewasagoodshot.

I went over to the knothole and stooped to peer through it, and

almostimmediatelyfeltahardkickonmybackside.Spinninground,I

saw the tiniest girl grinning wickedly and cackling. I recognised her

from school, although I didn’t know her name. We didn’t share any

classes.

‘W-where did you come from?’ It really was as though she’d

materialisedfromnowherebeforemyeyes.

‘I’mRoxyMinto.Ilivenextdoor.You’reAidan!’

‘Erm…Iknow.Howdidyouknowmyname?’

She gave a little snort to show that she thought it was a stupid

question.‘Howdoyouthink?Yourmumspoketomymum.Isawyour

removal men carrying stuff in. You’ve got a red bicycle and a white

woodendeskinyourbedroom.Turnaround.’

‘Why?’

‘Just turn around.’ She said it with such confidence that I found

myselfobeying,eventhoughIhalfexpectedanotherkickinthepants.

‘How do you know the bike and desk are mine?’ I said over my

shoulder,buttherewasnoreply.Iturnedback…andRoxyhadgone.

Vanished.

‘Roxy?’Thenaplankinthefencethatseparatesourgardensswung

up,hingedonahorizontalstrut.Shepokedherheadthrough,giggling.

‘Thisway!’

It was a squeeze but I made it. (Roxy’s so tiny that she passed

through and barely touched the sides.) And there I was in her

overgrown garden, with tatty shrubs and flowers and weeds, and an

oldplasticslide.

Roxystrodethroughtheuncutlawntoamassivebushthatspiltover

thefenceandrantendrilsupahazeltree.Shepushedabranchaside

anddisappearedintoit.Secondslater,Iheardhervoiceontheother

sideofthebackfence.

‘Areyoucomingorareyoutooscared?’

I pushed aside the branch. The big bush concealed a hole in the

fencethatledtoapathseparatingthebackfencesfromthewoods.Up

againstthefence,andcompletelyhiddenfromthegardensidebythe

bush,wasashed:oneofthepre-madeonesthatyouseeonbuilding

sites.

Roxystoodinthedoorway.‘Welcometomygarage!’shedeclared,

in her squeaky voice, and I could tell she was proud. She reached

insideforaswitchandaneonsignhangingfromtheroofflickeredto

life. It said GARAGE in pink vertical letters, but the first three letters

didn’tworksoitjustsaidAGE,but–Ihavetoadmit–itwasstillpretty

good.

Insidewasabattereddesk,awonkyswivelchair,twowoodenstools

andatinyfridgeintheshapeofabeercan.Therewascarpetonthe

floor, a lampshade on the light and even curtains at the windows. A

verybatteredoldsofahadyellowfoamescapingfromtearsinthevinyl

cushions.Ilaughed.

‘What’ssofunny?Don’tyoulikeit?’

SecretlyIthoughtitwascompletelyawesome,butIwasn’tgoingto

saythat,wasI?

‘It’sOK,’Isaid.‘Wh…wheredidyougetallthisstuff?’

Icouldtellshewasdisappointedwithmyreaction,andIimmediately

felt a bit bad. ‘Skip-diving, mainly,’ she said. ‘People chuck so much

away in them, so you know – reuse, recycle, blah-di-blah. The neon

sign’sthepiècederésistance!’ShedidanexaggeratedFrenchaccent

andwavedherhandtheatrically.

‘You’dneverknowtherewassomuchinhere!’Isaid,tomakeupfor

myearliercomment.

‘Not much to look at, but plenty on the inside, you mean? That’s

whattheysayaboutme!’Shehoppedontoastoolandreachedacross

toopenthefridge.‘Fancyabeer?’

‘I…er…’

‘Kidding. Hey, you know “gullible” isn’t in the dictionary?’ and she

tossedmeaboxofjuicewithastraw.‘Haveaseat.Taketheweightoff

yourfeet.Micasaessucasa!’

Wesatforabit,sippingourjuices.IhadknownRoxyforaboutsix

minutes,andalreadyIwascertainthatIhadn’tmetanyonequitelike

herbefore.

WhenIsaidshewastiny,Iwasn’texaggerating.Shewassosmall

that, if I was guessing her age, I’d say about six, but her behaviour

suggestedsomeone mucholder, morelike sixteen.Herskin wasthe

shiny brown of polished wood, with even darker freckles across her

nose,andherspringyAfrohairwascutroughlyandshort,likeaboy’s.

Her clothes gave nothing away: shorts, flip-flops, dirty white T-shirt,

denim jacket. Standard kid-in-summer gear. Only she had to be at

leastelevenbecauseshewasatPercyAcademy.

ItwashergrinthatInoticedthemost,though.Youknowhowsome

people, when their faces are resting, look naturally grumpy? It’s not

likethey’reinabadmoodoranything–it’sjustthat,whentheyhave

nothing particular to smile about, they don’t? Dad’s face is like that.

People are always saying to him, ‘Cheer up, mate – it might never

happen!’

Anyway, so far as I could tell, Roxy was the exact opposite. Her

mouth seemed to be fixed in a permanent smile, as if she was

laughingtoherselfaboutsomeprivatejoke.

She caught me looking. ‘What you starin’ at? Haven’t you never

seen a toff?’ Suddenly her accent was that of a Londoner and my

surprisemust haveshown onmy face.Shelaughed. ‘It’sa linefrom

Oliver!’

Imusthavelookedblank.

‘Oliver!You know – the musical? OliverTwist by Charles Dickens.

WhenOlivermeetstheArtfulDodger,that’swhatDodgersays.We’re

doingitinmyDramaClub.I’mgonnabeDodger.I’vegotthecostume

andeverything!’Shepointedtoalongvelvetcoatandaman’shaton

apeg.

ThatIcouldbelieve.‘Howoldareyou,Roxy?’

Hervoicechangedagain,thistimetoaposholdlady’s:‘Howdare

youaskaladyherage,youngman!’Shewasclearlyquitetheactress,

thisnewneighbourofmine.‘Sameasyou.Fourweeksolder,actually.’

‘Youknowmybirthday?’

Shejumpeddownfromthestoolandopenedthesheddoor.

‘There’s a lot I know about you, Aidan Henry Linklater. And your

sister, Liberty, born on February the fifth. Put the juice box in the

recyclingthereandfollowme.There’ssomethingIneedtoshowyou.’

I followed her into the woods, down a barely visible path. If only I

hadknownwhatwasto happen,I might haveavoided awhole lotof

trouble.

ButIalsowouldneverhavemetAlfieMonk.

Roxy stomped ahead of me through the woods, pushing aside

branches,andbeatingnettleswithastick.Welostsightofher‘garage’

afteronlythirtymetresorso.

‘Youknowwhereyou’regoing?’Isaid,tryingtosounddeadcasual–

asthoughIwouldn’treallycareifshesaid‘no’.Idon’tthinksheheard.

The woods were shady but not quiet. So far, the spring had been

muchwarmeranddrierthanusual,andtheleavesandtwigscrunched

loudlyunderourfeet;whenwestopped,Icouldhearabee,andRoxy

breathing.IfIcockedmyhead,Icouldjustmakeoutthetrafficonthe

A19shushingpast–acomfortingsound:areminderthat,eventhough

itfeltlikewewereinthemiddleofnowhere,weactuallyweren’t.

ThenRoxystoppedandcroucheddown.‘There.Canyouseeit?’

‘Seewhat?’

‘There,man!Youblind?’

Lowerdownthesteeplyslopingforestfloor,betweenthesilvery-grey

treesandaboutasfarawayasI’dbeabletothrowapinecone,Isaw

it:amossy,slate-coveredroof.

Iglancedoverathertocheckifshewasjoking.Imean,aroof.So

what?Roxyclockedmydoubtfulexpression.

‘It’sbetterwhenyougetnearer.Comeon,’andshewasoffthrough

the trees. She was no longer bashing the nettles with her stick, and

she advanced quietly, glancing back to check that I was following.

Thenshestopped.

We had a better view of the roof. It seemed to be level with us,

whichwasodd,tillIrealiseditwasjustbecausewewereonasteep

hill: it led down to a stone-built house surrounded by thick, spiky

bushes – as if someone had planted the area especially densely to

discourageintruders.

‘Carefulhere,’whisperedRoxy,andshepointedinsideabushata

coil of rusty barbed wire; the branches had grown around it. Further

along,thebushesthinnedoutveryslightlyandtherewasasign,one

ofthoseonesyoucanbuyinhardwareshopsthatsays:

BEWARE:THEDOGALWAYSATTACKS

‘Erm…Roxy?’Isaid.

Sheflappedhertinyhanddismissively.‘There’snodog.Don’tworry.

Comeon!’

Ifollowed,feelinglikeanobedientpuppy.

Wecametoagapinthebushybarbed-wiredefences.Itwouldhave

beeneasytosqueezethroughithadIbeenRoxy’ssize.AllIcoulddo

waslieabsolutelyflatonmybellyandtrytoshimmyforward,following

herflip-flops.

Herfeetandlowerlegswerescratchedalloverandstungbynettles,

butshedidn’tseemtocare.

Then the gorse bush cleared and we were in long grass: long

enoughtohideusifwelayflat.That’swhenIsawthehouseproperly.

The sloping ground extended another couple of metres and then

dropped away sharply to become a brick wall about the height of a

person. There was a neat, paved yard with a round fire-pit made of

stone. A smouldering log gave offa thin wisp of smoke that rose up

straight in the still air, and a few chickens pecked around on the

ground.Nexttothefire-pitwasaround,metalpot,blackenedwithage

andsmoke.

Thehouseitselfwasmadeofstonebricks,mottledandmisshapen

withage,andtoppedwitharoofofthemossyslatesIhadseenfroma

distance.Wewerelookingatthebackofthehouse;thedoorwasone

ofthoseonesthat’ssplitinhalf.ThetophalfwasopenbutIcouldn’t

seeinside.Thepaintonthedoorandwindowframeswasabitflaky;in

fact,everythingaboutthehouselookedoldanddryandworn.

‘So,Roxy…’Ibegan.

‘Shhh!’

Iloweredmyvoice.‘So,Roxy.It’ssomeone’shouse.’

‘Yes!’shewhisperedbackexcitedly.

‘Andthisisabigdeal?’

‘Well…yeah!’

‘Whyexactly?Peoplehavehouses,youknow.Theyliveinthem.’

‘Youdon’tknowwholivesinthisone.’

Roxy paused and took a breath, building the suspense. Then she

stopped,bothofoureyesdrawntoamovementinsidethedoorway.

A woman appeared, framed in the open half of the door, and

scannedthebushesandgrasswherewelayhidden.Instinctivelywe

bothshrankback.

Ionlygotaquicklookatherbeforeshewentbackintothehouse.

Howoldwasshe?Icouldn’ttell.Longskirt,headscarf,sunglasses.

‘Thatwasher,’saidRoxy.

‘That was who?’ I know this sounds like I was being deliberately

uninterestedtoteaseRoxy,butIjustcouldnotworkoutwhyshewas

soexcitedaboutsomewomaninahouse.Bigdeal.

‘Thewitch.’

And, at that point, I forgot all about being quiet, and said – louder

thanIshouldhave,probably–‘Oh,Roxy!’

Iwasgenuinelyquiteannoyed.Disappointedaswell.

AnnoyedwithRoxy becauseIwas lyinginthe grass,abit scared,

and covered in forest gunk and nettle stings, spying on someone’s

house,probablybreakingsomelaworother,andallfornothing.And

disappointedbecause,well…

I’dthoughtRoxymightbeabitdifferent.Someonefuntohangout

with.EspeciallywithSpatchandMoinItaly.

And then she mentioned witches, for heaven’s sake. If I want

witches,orunicorns,oranimalsinclothes,Ijustneedfiveminuteswith

mylittlesister.

‘Shhh!Sheis,I’mtellingyou.She’s,like,twohundredyearsoldand

shelivesinacottageinthewoods.Sheevenhasablackcat–look!’

Rightoncue,acat–notentirelyblackbutanyway–strolledalong

the top of the wall right in front of us. It flashed us a look with its

strikingyelloweyes,thenleaptgracefullydownintotheyard,mewling

loudly,causingachickentoflapoutofitsway.

‘Haveyoutastedit?Thehouse?’Isaid.

‘Whatdoyoumean?’

‘Isitmadeofgingerbread?’

The glare that Roxy gave me could have melted an ice lolly, but I

didn’tcare.Thiswasjustasillyfantasy.

‘I’mgoingback,’Isaid,andIstartedtogetup.

‘Getdown!’hissedRoxy.‘She’llseeyou.’

‘What?Andturnmeintoatoad?I’lltaketherisk,thanks.’

Whathappenednextmayhavebeenmyfault.I’mnotreallysure.

AsIgottomyhandsandknees,Roxygrabbedmycollar,andpulled

mebackdownreallyhard,and,forsomeonesosmall,shehadplenty

ofstrength.

‘Stopit!’Iwhispered,andstruggledfromhergraspand,asIdidso,I

pushedher. Sherolleddownthebank,scrabbling for myhandorfor

grass, or for anything to stop her tumbling into the yard, which was

whereshewasheaded.

Forasplitsecond,hereyeslockedonmine,pureterroretchedonto

herface,andthenshewasovertheedgeoftheslopeandoutofsight.

There was a loud thump as she hit the ground, but no shout, no

scream.Ihaddrawnbreathtoshouthername,andtocheckshewas

OK, but the shout stilled in my throat as I saw the back door of the

cottageburstopenandthewitchcomerunningout.

‘Ay,ay,ay!’shecried.Andthensomethingelse,somethingIcouldn’t

makeout,becauseitwasinalanguageI’dneverheardbefore.

Itwasn’tFrench.IknowwhatFrenchsoundslike(thirdfromtopin

my class, en fait). And it wasn’t Italian, because I’ve heard Spatch

talkingwithhisdadathome.

It was like nothing I had ever heard before: a throaty, musical

language. The witch – or ‘witch’, I suppose – hurried to where Roxy

hadfallenrightbelowme.Then,inherlanguage,shecalledoutagain,

asifshoutingforsomeone.

That’swhenIsawhim.

He stood in the doorway: a pale, skinny blond boy. A pair of

sunglasseshungonalooproundhisneckandheputthemonbefore

scuttlingoutintothesunshineoftheyardtowhereRoxylay.

Was she dead? I was terrified, but I didn’t think it was likely, even

thoughitwasquitealongdrop.ThenIheardhermoan.ThankGodfor

that.

ShouldIstandup?Revealmyself?Iwascaughtinaterrifieddither

of simplynot knowing whatto do whenthe boy pickedup Roxy and

carried her little body easily into the house, a dripping trail of blood

comingfromherhead.

Both halves of the door clattered shut and I realised I hadn’t

breathedsinceRoxyhadfallen.

ThisiswhatIknowaboutthelife-pearls:

1.Theycontainathickliquidwhich,whenmixedwithyourownblood,

immediatelystopsyoufromgettinganyolder.

2. If you repeat the process with another life-pearl, the ageing starts

again.

Thatisit.ThatisprettymuchallIknow,andallMamknowstoo.

Asformyfather, I amafraidI can hardly remember him, althoughMam

hastoldmeallabouthim.Onethousandyearsisalongtimetohearstories

againandagain,butInevergetboredofthem.

(SometimesIcanalmosttouchamemoryofhim.Afuzzymentalpictureof

atallblondman;thesmellofaship’sropedippedintar;afeelingoffearina

storm; but they are indistinct recollections. They seem thin, as though

constantlytryingtobringthemtomindhassomehowwornthemout.)

Da’s name was Einar. He was a soldier-turned-trader from the island of

GotlandinwhatisnowcalledtheBaltic,butinherstoriesMamstillcalledit

theuster-shern–theEasternSea.

Wheredidtheycomefrom,these‘life-pearls’?Nooneknew,notforsure.

Therewasasaga–anancientpoem–thatMamwouldtellbythelightofthe

fire’sembers,ofanalchemist’smanservantescapingfromamassivetsunami

intheMiddleEast.Hecarriedabagofthelife-pearlsacrossthedesert,tothe

mountainsofCarpathiainEasternEurope.Howmuchofitwastrue,though,

wasanybody’sguess.

Mixing the liquid in a life-pearl with your own blood stopped you from

gettingolder.Itdidnotmakeyouimmortalhowever:youcouldstillbekilled

inbattle,orbydisease,or–asDafoundout–byaccident.

Mam said he had obtained the life-pearls when he had heroically fought

somevagabondswhowereraidingatinyvillage.Ilovedthisstory.

‘Likeatrueandnoblewarrior,’saidMam,‘hesparedthelifeofoneofthe

banditsinexchangeforthelife-pearls.

‘Straightawayheusedoneofthemhimself.Hemadetwocutsinhisarm

andpouredintheliquidfromoneoftheglassballs.Fourlife-pearlsremained.

ThevaliantEinarknew,though,thattheyweresovaluablethatanyonewho

ownedthemwasatrisk:peoplewouldkilltohaveeternallife.Sohetoldno

oneuntilhemet…’

‘You!’IwouldfillinandMamalwayssmiled.

‘That’s right. By then, he was alreadya hundred and fortyyears old. He

waslivinginthelandoftheDanes,andspeakingtheirlanguage.Wehadbeen

marriedforonlysixmonthswhenIlearntIwaspregnantwithyou,Alve.’

(‘We married for love,’ she never tired of telling me. ‘That was unusual

then.’Athousandyearsago,lovewasverylowdownonthelistofreasonsto

get married – a long way below things like family alliances, wealth and

security.)

Mam was poor, Da was not, and people were jealous of Mam’s good

fortune in marrying the rich and handsome Einar of Gotland. And, when

peoplearejealous,theystarttotalk,andthetalkturnedtoEinar’sage,and

how strange it was that the village elders remembered him from their own

youth.

CouldhebeoneofthefabledNeverdeads?

And, if he was a Neverdead, might he possess the livperler – the life-

pearls?

AlreadytheNeverdeadsweresorarethatmanypeoplethoughtitwasjusta

talltale told bythose who hadtravelledand metpeoplefrom distantlands.

Forexample,therewerestoriesofavastlandtothesouthwheretherewere

four-legged creatures with tremendous long necks that could reach the

topmostleavesoftrees;wheretherewerefathorsesthatlivedinrivers;where

thereweretiny,hairypeople,withlongtails,whoswungthroughthebranches

oftheforest.

No one quite knew how much of this to believe. Perhaps stories of the

Neverdeadswerejustmoretravellers’tales?

But,whentherumoursabouthislonglifereachedmyfather’sears,hewas

takingnochances.Withhiswifeandchild,hemadeplansforanewlifeinthe

landoftheBritons,wherehehopedtheywouldbesafe.Asitturnedout,he

wasright…inpart.

HesavedmeandMam.Buthedidnotsavehimself.

EinarofGotlandwasunrecognisableashestoodonthewoodenjettyofRibe

onthewestcoastofDenmarkwithHilda,hiswife,andasmallchild–me.

Thatwasexactlywhathewanted.

He had shaved his beard, cut his hair and dressed in the clothes of a

middle-rankingtradesman.Nottoorichtoattractattention,norso poor that

peoplewouldquestionhisabilitytopayforapassageontheshiptoBernicia

inthelandoftheBritons.

NooneknewhiminRibe,buthewastakingnochances.Westayedalittle

way out of town. Da was on edge, said Mam. He thought he was being

followed.HildawasnowaNeverdeadaswell,thebloodyprocesscarriedout

on the night oftheir marriage.Together they would live foreverin thenew

landwiththeirson.

Iftheymadeit.

Einarhadboughtpassageonacargoshipthatwouldsailstraightacrossthe

NorthSea, stoppingfirst northof theold Roman Wall tooffloadcargoand

takeonanothershipment,andthencarryingondownthecoasttothemouth

oftheTyne.

Thecaptainhadsaidfourdays,maybefive,dependingonthewind–and

thewindwasnotcooperating.Cargoshipsreliedonsail,ratherthantheoars

that the longships used, so if the wind was coming from the west – as it

usuallydid–ajourneytothenewlandswashardsailing.

After a week, the wind changed and in less than a day the battered old

knarr, with its filthy, patched sails, and old, tarry ropes, was gliding out of

Ribeharbour.

Da boarded separately from Mam and me. We were to pretend for the

wholejourneythatwewereunconnected.DagavethepearlstoMam,tokeep

them even safer, in case anyone recognised him.‘Until we land,’ Mam had

saidtome,withhermostseriousfaceassheputitwhenretellingthestory,

‘youmustneverspeaktoyourda.’

ShesaidIwasclearlypuzzledbutdidasIwastold.Iwasalwaysagood,

obedientboy,shesaid.

We had very little luggage: a bag each, made of hemp, and, for me, a

wicker basket containing a young cat that I had called Biffa. It was not a

name,norevenaword.IthinkIjustlikedthesoundofit.

Ontheboattherewasnoprivacy.Ifanyoneneededtowee,ormore,they

hadtodoitinthesea,astheboatshudderedalongoverthecloud-coloured

waves.Thecrewwerenotfussy:theyjustdroppedtheirtrousersandputtheir

bottomsoverthesideoftheboat.

AndthatishowwelostDa,saidMam.Noonesawhimgo.Thewindhad

comeup,andtheskipperhadpulledinthesail,andthelongknarrwasrising

andfallingontheswell.Astheboatbuckedandrearedonthewhite-capped

waves,Dagotupandclamberedtotherear,whichwaswhereeveryonewent.

Itwasalittlebitprivateastherewasastackofbarrelssecuredwithropethat

wouldgiveyousomecoverandyoucouldhangontotheropestraps.

Andthatwasit,thelastanyonesawofhim.

Mam was the first to notice. Everyone had been huddled over, trying to

staydry,whenshesaid,‘Where’sEinar?’

Whenitbecameclearwhathadhappened,theskipperturnedtheboatinto

thestorm andtacked toandfro, goingback wayfurther than wehad come

that day, in case Da had been carried on the current. There was no sign of

him.Evenifhehadyelledwhenhewentover,heprobablywouldnothave

been heard over the noise of the waves and the wind and the creaking old

boat.

What a way to go. It still makes me sad, even though I can hardly

rememberhim,andthiswascenturiesago,butitstillcomesbacktome,even

afterallthesadandbadthingsthatIhaveseen.

‘The hardest thing,’ said Mam, ‘was being unable to grieve. I had to

pretendtobeassadassomeonewhohadonlyjustmethim–andthatyou

were cryingbecause you were small, andany death upsetyou, not because

yourfatherhadgonemissing.’

‘Butwhy?’Iusedtoask.

‘Becausethatwastheplan,toavoidthosewhomightbe after the pearls.

AndIstuckwithit.Ididnotknow–Istilldonotknow–ifhewaspushed

overboard. There was another passenger on the boat: a mean-looking devil

with a huge black beard, and he and your da had argued earlier that day. I

knowEinardidnottrusthim.Whenyoucriedwiththecold,hetoldmeto,

“Shut that bairn up!” and when you howled for the man who had gone

overboard–yourda,thoughnooneknewit–hethreatenedtothrowyouover

tojoinhim.’

IfIclosemyeyes,Icanrememberthatface,inchesfrommine,growling,

‘Hollmunnen!’toagrievinginfant.‘Shutyourmouth!’Thememorycanstill

makemecold.

Andso,sixdayslater,freezingcold,soakingwetandsmellingstronglyof

sheep’scheese,sealskinsandship’star,MamandIsaileduptheTeenandgot

outoftheboatonthelongwoodenpierbythefishinghuts.

ShehadsetofffromDenmarkasayoungwife,andarrivedinTeenmootha

widow,withayoung,fatherlesschild.

Little.Old.Me.

Then,morethanathousandyearslater,atinylittlegirlfellintoouryard

andbangedherhead.Thatwaswheneverythingchanged.

Themorningitallhappened,Mamsaidtome,‘Doyouknowwhatdayitis

today, Alve?’ She still called me by my birth name when we were alone,

whichwaspracticallyalways.

I knew but I pretended not to, so that she would have the pleasure of

remindingme.

‘ThirtyyearsinOakCottage.Thirtyyearssincewemovedbackintothis

house,’andshesmiledhergappysmile,andhuggedmewithherstrongarms.

‘Idonotwanttomoveagain.Notafterthelasttime,’shesaidformaybethe

hundredthtime.

Inresponse,Iforcedasmile,andnodded,anddidnotremindherthatthe

worldwaschangingfasterthanever.

Mamworried.Webothdid.Movinghouse,stayinganonymous–livingin

general–wasbecomingharderandharder.

Ithadneverbeenexactlyeasy.MamandI,however,hadalwaysbeenquite

mobileandwehadfoundthattherewasalwayssomeonewillingtorentusa

smallhouse,orevenjustaroom;wekeptourpossessionstoaminimum,or

storedthemelsewhere,especiallyourbooks.

But these days? These days, everybody wants to know everything about

you. Rental agreements, bank accounts, licences for this, permits for that,

formstofillin,identificationdocuments…

Mamseldomlistenedto thenews onthewireless.Itwas, shewould say,

‘tooconfusing’.Ithinkshemeant‘tooscary’.Wehadshutourselvesawayfor

so long that Mam no longer understood the wider world of motor cars, jet

aeroplanes,computers,mobiletelephones.

Butsometimes,whenMamwasupstairsinbed,Iwouldlistentothenews.

I would try to understand, and I would long to live in that world: the real

world,withallofitswonders.

Mamtutted.‘Sheishereagain,Alve.’Shewipedherhandsandpeeredout

of the scullery window. ‘That is the second time this week. And there is

someonewithher.Overthereontheleft.Canyousee?’

The‘littlenosy girl’ waswhatMam called her. I nowknow her asRoxy

Minto.Mamhadinitiallyseenherspyingonusnearlyayearearlier.Atfirst

Mam thought the worst – that itwould be a repeat of the last time we had

livedhere,whentheboyshadmadeourlivesamisery,andallthequestions

hadstarted,andwehadhadtomoveaway.

Itturnedoutnottobethat.Allthelittlegirlwantedtodowastowatch.We

wouldhearher,tryingherbesttobequietinthebushes.

Untilnowshehadalwaysbeenalone.Shewouldapproach,andlieinthe

long grass in front of the gorse bush, and watch us go about our business.

Thenautumncame,andtheleavesdropped,andshestoppedcomingbecause

–Ithink–shewouldnotbehiddensowell.

Itwasannoyingto be spiedon,butbetterthan the fear thatwe mightbe

attacked,oraccusedofwhoknowswhat.

Witchcraft?

Iknowthatnooneisaccusedofwitchcraftinthetwenty-firstcentury,but

we have feared it for so long that our solitude became our life, and being

anonymousouronlygoal.

Andsoweletherbe.Thenthespringcameback,andtheleaves,andsodid

thelittlegirlinthebushes.

Mam went to the half-door that led into the backyard and squinted out.

Oncemoreshesaid,‘Iamnotmovingagain,Alve.Notafterthelasttime.’

Thelasttime.Icannotforgetthelasttime.Becausethelasttimeinvolved

Jack,andJackwasthelastfriendIeverhad.

I don’t know how long I stood there, staring at the back door of the

cottageinthewoodswheretheyhadtakenRoxyinside,buteventually

Iran.

Imeanttogethelp:tellDad,orwhoever,whathadhappened,andit

wouldallbeOK,but,inmypanic,Igotlost.

Iknow,thewoodsaren’teventhatbig,buttherewerenopaths,and

I kept criss-crossing my way through, passing the big gorse bush at

leasttwice,andthentryingtoheaduphillbecauseIknewthatthat,at

anyrate,wouldbesortoftherightdirection.

It must have been nearly an hour later when I emerged, sweating

andfilthyandpantingandscared,atthetopoftheslope,alittleway

along from Roxy’s ‘garage’. I began running back to our house, and

thereshewas.

I stared, open-mouthed, at Roxy, looking so chilled, sitting in the

doorway of the shed beneath the still-flickering –––AGE sign.

Shouldn’t she, I wondered, be a bit more traumatised after her

encounterwiththewitchofthewoods?Shecertainlydidn’tlookit.

‘Yourdadwashere,’saidRoxy.‘Well,there.Lookingoverthefence.

He’snice.He’scalledBen.’

‘Yeah,Roxy.Iknow.He’smydad.’Iwasthrownbyallthis.Iwanted

toknowwhathadhappenedtoher.

‘I’mOK,’shesaid.‘Ifthat’swhyyoulooksoweird?’

‘DoI?’

She inspected me, head on one side, really considering the

question.

‘Yep.You’recoveredinmud,yourhair’sfullofleavesandyourface

isredandsweaty.That’sweirdtome.’

‘Butwhataboutyou?Whathappened?’

‘Well—’shebeganbutwasinterrupted.

‘Thereyouare,’saidDad,peeringoverthebackfence,whichcame

uptohischin.‘Cor!Whathappenedtoyou?Youlooklikeyou’vebeen

draggedthroughahedgebackwards!’

ThiswasfarclosertothetruththanIactuallywantedtoadmit.

Andwhywasthat?Why,atthatveryinstant,didInotsaysomething

likethis:

‘Wow, Dad – you’ll never believe what’s just happened! Me and

Roxy(Roxy,meetDad,DadthisisRoxy)havejustfoundthisamazing

house in the woods.Did you know it was there? It’s, like, really well

hidden.And this ladylives therethat Roxy reckonsis awitch, which

obviouslysheisn’t,althoughshelookslikeone!AndanywayRoxyfell

into their backyard and banged her head, but it looks like she’s OK

now.Cool,huh,Dad?’

ButIdidn’t.AndIthinkIknowwhy.

Apartfromthefactthatwe’dbeentrespassing–allthosesignsand

barbedwirehadensuredthatIwasn’tevenatinybitrelaxedaboutour

whole adventure – it was Roxy’s casual behaviour that was freaking

meoutabit.Ihadnoticedathicksurgicaldressingstuckbehindher

earbyherhairline.

It all made methink thatthere was somethingelse goingon here.

SomethingthatcouldbespoiltifIsaidtoomuch.

Ialsofeltbadaboutnotrescuingher.Aboutstandingstilllikeashop

dummywhileRoxy,bleeding,wascarriedintoastrangehouse.Idon’t

thinkDadwouldhavebeenimpressedbythat.

AndsoI lied–andI amthe world’sworstliar.WhenDad saidhis

‘draggedthroughahedgebackwards’thing,Ijustlaughedlikeitwas

thefunniestthingI’deverheard.

‘Yeah!Iknow!Justexploring,youknow,Dad!Gotabitlostandthat,

buthey–nobonesbroken,eh?Haha!’

Dadgavemeafunnylook.‘Well,getinheresharpish,son.Iwant

yourhelpwiththeskirtingboards.’Heturnedtogobackinthehouse.

Wonderful, I thought. More decorating. The house hadn’t been in

greatconditionwhenwemovedin.

We watched him go, before Roxy said to me, ‘You’re a lousy liar,

Aidan.Iftherewereprizesforbadacting,you’dwinthemall.Infact…’

‘Yeah, yeah– all right. Thanks alot. It did the job.I want to know

whathappenedtoyou.’

Inside the shed, Roxy sat behind the tatty little desk. Her fingers

weretogetherlikeatentinfrontofhermouth,andherelbowswereon

thetable.Iswearshewastryingtobeallcoolandintimidating,butshe

wastoosmallandscruffytocarryitoff.Insteadshelookedlikeakid

impersonatingasternheadmistress.

‘It’sstrangerthanwethought,’shesaid.

‘It’s stranger than you thought,’ I corrected her. ‘To me, it’s some

ladyandherkidlivingaquietlifeinasecludedhouseuntilyoufallinto

theirbackyard.’

‘She had a cauldron, a black cat and a broomstick,’ said Roxy,

counting them off on her fingers, and nodding her head as if that

provedeverything.

‘No,Roxy.Shehadacookingpot,ablack-and-whitecatanda…I

dunno…abrush,likewe’veallgotathome.’

‘Butyoudidn’tseeinsidethehouse.’

‘Well,no.ButIwashopingyouweregoingtotellme.Bytheway–

how’syourhead?’

Roxy touched the back of her ear gently and frowned. ‘OK, really.

Doesn’thurtanymore.Sheputsomelotiononit.’

‘Youmeanapotion,’Iscoffed.

Shenarrowedhereyesatme.‘Ifyou’rejustgoingtomockmethen

youcangetoutofmygarage.’Shepointedatthedoor.

Isighed.‘I’msorry.It’sjust…well,youdoknowthatwitchesdon’t

exist?Thatmagicandstuffaren’treal?It’salljuststories.Youdoknow

that?’Iwasbeingsincere,andIwascarefultoavoidanytoneofvoice

thatmighthavesoundedteasing.

Roxyvisiblyrelaxed.‘Idoknowthat.OratleastIdid.’

Shereachedunderthedeskandpulledoutalaptopcomputerand

flipped it open. Roxy hit a few keys and a film started. As it did, my

mouth fell open until my jaw hit my knees. Well, almost. You know

whatImean.

Atfirst,IhadnoideawhatIwaswatching.Itwasjustnoise–rustling,

crunching–andblurredgrey-greenstuffasthecameramovedthrough

…what?

Leaves. Undergrowth. Bushes. And there was a voice, clear as

anything.Myvoicesaying:‘Somethingflattish,withgreenbits?’

ThenRoxy’svoice:‘You’vegotit.It’saroof!’

‘Stop the video!’ I said to Roxy, and she leant forward to hit the

spacebar.

‘Youwerefilmingallofthis?’

Shesaidnothingbutgrinnedandnodded.

‘But…how?Youdidn’thaveacamera.’

With her left hand, she pulled at the side of her denim jacket and

thrustitatme.Peeringclosely,Icouldseeatinyglassdomesetinto

thebrassbutton.Sheflipped openher jacketto reveala blackcable

leadingtoaninsidepocketandalittlesilverybox.

‘That’sacamera?’

‘Yep.Surveillancecamera,720pHDres,audioandvideo.’

Inoddedwisely,as if Iknewwhattheheckshewastalkingabout,

and added an ‘Oh wow!’ for good measure. It seemed to work,

becauseshebecamemoreenthusiastic.

‘Yeah, and, even better, this records at 16.4 MBps rather than

MJpeg4,sothatyoucan…’shetailedoff,lookingcarefullyatme.

I adjusted my face to the one you use in class when you haven’t

beenfollowingwhattheteachersays,butyoudon’twanthimtoknow.

(MrReid,ourmathsteacher,knowsthisfacewellonme.)

‘Youdon’tknowwhatI’mtalkingabout,doyou?’

Ishookmyheadandthensaid,‘Didyougetthisskip-divingaswell?’

ShenoddeddistractedlyandpressedPLAYagain.

Itwasstrangewatchingbackeverythingthathadhappenedonlya

fewhoursago.Roxyfast-forwardedthebitwherewewerejusthacking

throughthewoodsuntilwecametothepartjustbeforeshefellintothe

witch’syard.

(See?I’mdoingitmyselfnow.She’snotawitch!)

Thepictureatthisstagewasjustabitofground,asRoxywaslying

downinthelonggrass.

‘Getdown!She’llseeyou.’ThatwasRoxy.

‘What?Andturnmeintoatoad?I’lltaketherisk,thanks.’

TherewasascufflingnoisethenagaspasRoxytumbleddownthe

slope,andaloud,hardthumpasshehittheground.

‘Ow!’Isaid.Itsoundedlikeapainfulfall.

The picture swooped and blurred and then just stopped, showing

mostlyskyasRoxylayonherback,outcold.

‘Thatmust’vehurt!’Isaid.

‘Likehell,’saidRoxy.‘ButnottillIregainedconsciousness.’

On thefilm, there werefootsteps, andthen a replayof what I had

heard,inmycowardlyhorror,fromthebank.

Thatstrangelanguage.Thewomanfirst.

‘Al-vuh.Al-vuh!Kuma!’

That’swhatitsoundedlike,anyway.Andthenaloadofgarbledstuff

thatIcouldn’tmakeout.Igaspedasaclose-upofthewoman’sface

filled the laptop screen. She was leaning over and peering at Roxy,

andthetinycameracaughtitall.

Roxy paused the film. ‘And there she is!’ She said it like she was

announcingacelebrityappearingonaredcarpet.

Westaredatthescreenandthewoman’sface.

Howoldwasshe?IadmitthatI’mnotsobrilliantatguessingadults’

ages. After thirty, I reckon, they all look pretty much the same until

they’re sixty or so. That’s when they start to get wrinkly and white-

hairedlikeGranandGrandadLinklater.

So this woman could have been anywhere in that range. She had

linesonherforeheadandatthesideofhereyes,butthatmighthave

beenbecauseshehadaworriedexpressiononherface.Herhairwas

in a cloth scarf, but some blonde bits were sticking out. Her cheeks

wereshinyandlightred,likePinkLadyapples.

RoxypressedPLAYagain,andthewoman’sfacemovedbackabit,

and side to side,as if assessingRoxy’sinjury. She might oncehave

been pretty, but, when she opened her mouth, her teeth were

discolouredandworn,withgapsinbothrows.

Then she removed her sunglasses and I saw her eyes, a watery

bluecolourwithpink,damprimsandpalelashes.

‘Have youever seen anyone lookas tired as that?’ I murmuredto

Roxy.‘Shelookslikeshecouldsleepforever.’

The picture went back to sky and there was more conversation in

theirlanguage,andsomethingIcouldmakeoutas,‘In-annbolld.’She

saidittwice.

‘Thisis wherethey pickme up,’ saidRoxy.The imagemoved and

therewasawall,andmoresky,andthenitwentdarkerastheymoved

inside. The picture went still again, and I could see what looked like

theceilingandalighthangingdown.

‘Hello?Hello?’Adifferentvoicenow:theboy’s.‘Canyouhearme?

Hello?Areyouallright?’Therewasalightslappingnoise,whichItook

tobesomeonegentlytappingRoxy’scheektowakeherup,thenthe

woman’svoicecamebackin,followedbyasharpintakeofbreath,a

gaspandalittlemoan.

Theboysaidsomethingtothewoman,andthentherewasacough

andanothermoanofpain.

‘That’sme,’saidRoxy.‘I’mcominground,andItrytogetup.’

Sureenough,thepicturemoved,asifRoxywastryingtositupright,

but thenwent back to the ceiling as the woman said, ‘No, hinny. Lie

backdown,pet.You’vebangedy’heedbad.Justrestthereabit,pet.

Divventmove.Shhhh.’

Itwasagentle,soothingvoice,withastrongnorth-easternlilt,and

something else as well: another accent. She sounded like Kristina

NilsenatmyoldschoolwhowasNorwegianbuthadaGeordieaccent

aswell.

Anyway thiswas not thecackling voice ofa witch, butI didn’t say

thattoRoxy.

Shefast-forwardedabitmore.

‘It’sjustmelyingdown,andthemtalkingintheirlanguage.’

Onthescreen,therewasaglimpseofachinabowl.Roxysaid,‘She

hadsomethingintherethatshebathedmyheadwith,whereitgotcut.

Smeltgrossanditstunglikeanything.’

Thenthewoman’svoicesaid,‘D’youreckonyoucansitup,petal?

Comeon,upyouget.Easydoesit.Howyefettlin’?’

Suddenlythere they were,standing infront ofRoxy as shesat up

andthetinycameratookeverythingin.

Thewoman’sshapelesssweaterappeared tobehand-knitted.Her

long hands were rough-looking and clasped in front of her in an

appearanceofconcern.

Thetopofherheadwascutoffbythecamera,buttherewasasoft

lookonherface.Shesaidsomethingtotheboy:‘Go-thersvine,Alve.

Go-thersvine.’

Theboywasobviouslyherson:theylookedveryalike,fromthepale

eyesto thedirty-blondhairand thelongfingers. His teeth,too,were

yellowed and gappy. His clothes were old-fashioned: proper trousers

(not jeans), button-up shirt. Aunty Alice would have said he looked

‘rightsmart’,buttomehelookedlikehe’dborrowedhisdad’sclothes.

Thesunglasseshangingroundhisneckcompletedtheunusuallook.

Behind them was a room that was darkish and cluttered, with old-

fashioned easy chairs, and a table piled with papers, and a

mantelpiececoveredwithvasesandknick-knacks,andpilesofpaper

onthefloorand…

‘Sheesh–lookatthestateoftheplace!’Isaid.

Roxy laughed. ‘Get you, Mister Houseproud!’ she teased. ‘But I

knowwhatyoumean.Anditsmelt…’Shehesitated.

‘Bad?’

Shewrinkledhernoseasifthatwouldhelphertorecallthesmell.

‘Notbad,exactly.Just…old.Likeanoldperson’shousewitholdstuff

init.Abitdusty,maybe?Itwasclean,though.’

I nodded. Gran and Grandad’s house smells a bit like that, and

they’renotevenallthatold.Welookedbackatthescreen.

‘Howareyoufeelin’,hinny?Areyoudizzyatall?Trystandin’up–

gently,mind.’

‘Shesoundsnormal,’Isaid.‘Nice,even.’

‘Iknow,’Roxysaid.‘Youwait,though.’

‘Canyoumoveallyerbits,petal?Nothin’broken?Thatwasquitea

bumpy’had.’

The picture moved while Roxy, presumably, twisted her arms and

legsabouttocheck,thenhervoicesaid,‘No,nothingbroken,thanks.

I’dbetterbegoing.’

And then the boy piped up, off screen: ‘Are you sure? You do not

havetogostraightaway.Itmightnotbesafe,youknow,ifyouhave

beenconcussed.’

There followed an exchange in their language, but I still couldn’t

makeanythingofit,thoughI didhear theword ‘Al-vuh’again.Itwas

hardtotellbecauseIcouldn’tseetheirfaces,butitsoundedlikethe

womanwasbeingabitfirmwiththeboy.

‘Pauseit,’IsaidtoRoxyandshedid.‘Whatwasallthatabout?’

Roxyshrugged.‘HowwouldIknow?’

Werewoundandplayeditagain.‘IfIhadtoguess,’Isaid,‘itwould

bethatshewastellinghimnottoinviteyoutostay.It’sinhertone.’

We played it a third time, and Roxy agreed. ‘I didn’t want to stay,

anyway.Iwasterrified.’

On-screenthecameraturnedsothatwesawtherestoftheroom.

Parts of it were piled so high with stuff that the towers of paper and

books looked as though they might topple over. On one wall was a

bookshelf that probably contained as many books as our school

library, crammed in higgledy-piggledy. The camera was moving too

fastformetoseeanytitles,buttheylookedlikeoldbooks,notbrightly

colouredpaperbacks.Therewasaglimpseofacat’sblack-and-white

tailpassingthecamera’seye.

Roxy’svoice:‘I…Ireallyhavetogo.Thanks.Thankyou.’

Thewomansteppedinfrontofher,andherfacehadbecomemuch

lessfriendly.

‘But,hinny,youhaven’ttoldmewhatyouweredoing.Imean,why

were you on our property in the first place? It’s clearly marked as

private, and there are fences which you and your friend must have

brokenthrough.’

‘My…my…’

‘Yourfriend.Ohaye,wesawhim,didn’twe,Alve?’

Theboynoddedwithapainedexpressiononhisface.Itwasclear

hedidn’tlikethisnewlineofinterrogation.

‘W-wejustgotlost.’

Thewomanleantinclose.‘Didy’now?Well,divventgetlostagain,

or I’ll have the Peelers onto ye.’ Then she smiled: a cold smile that

said‘I’mnotbeingmean,butdon’tunderestimateme.’

I had no idea what this ‘having the Peelers’ meant, and looked

acrosstoRoxywhogaveahalf-shrug.Itdidn’tsoundgood,whatever

itwas.

As Roxy’s voice on the film stammered apologies, the picture

showed her progress out of the room, into an equally dark and

cluttered hallway, and towards a large wooden door with a small

windowinthefront.Herhandsscrabbledforthehandle,andthenshe

turnedandonlytheboywasstandingbeforeher.

‘I’msorry,’Roxyrepeated,andthestrangestthinghappened.

Theboygaveashysmile,whichwasonlyjustvisibleatthetopof

thescreen,becauseofRoxy’slackofheight.Thenhesaid,‘Metoo.’

Heglancedbehindhim,thenadded,quieter,‘PerhapsIshallseeyou

again?’ His tone was sad, and hopeful. On the film his mother’s

footstepscamecloser.

Thewoodendoorwasopenandhesaid:‘Thatway.’Attheedgeof

thepicture,heraisedhishandinashywave,andthe(mostly)black

catscuttledawayinthecorneroftheframe.

Thenthepicturestartedjerkingupanddownasthesoundchanged

toRoxy’srunningfeetslappingtheroadasshegotawayasquicklyas

shecould.

Andnowshewassittinginfrontofme,lookingsmug.

‘Toldyou,’shesaid.‘Thestrangelanguage,thelotion,theoldbooks,

thethreat?Sheistotallyawitch.’

However much I pleaded and scoffed, nothing would convince Roxy

Mintothatshehadnothadanencounterwithawitch.

If you’re convinced of something, I guess it’s easy to become

stubbornaboutitifthealternativeisadmittingthatyouwerewrongand

abitchildish.

‘Well,obviouslyshe’snotgoingtowearablackhatandhavewarts.

Thatwouldjustgivethegameaway,wouldn’tit?’shedeclared.

‘Oh,so thefact shedoesn’t lookmuchlike awitchproves she’sa

witch,doesit?’Isaidinexasperation.‘Sowhatifshehadhadablack,

pointyhat?Whatwouldthatprove?Thatshewasn’tawitch?’

Sheignoredthisbitoflogic.‘Andshe’sgotacauldronandablack

cat!’

‘Black-and-white,Roxy,’Isaidwearily.

‘Sowhat?’

EverythingIsaidwasbattedbacktomewithwide-eyedinnocence.

Our voices were getting louder and it was becoming an argument,

whichIdidn’twantbecauseRoxywasdaringandfun.

‘Icanproveit,youknow,’shesaid,andthenherphonerang:ajolly,

tinkly-tonkly tune on the piano that somehow suited Roxy perfectly.

She glanced at the screen but didn’t pick it up. I looked at her

quizzically.

‘It’smymum.Gottago.’

I’d barely noticed that Roxy had been alone all this time. I mean,

whereverIam,usuallythere’saparentkickingaroundsomewherein

the background: bringing out juice, checking you’re wearing a warm

top,ornotrunningwithscissors–justbeingparentish.ButRoxyhad

beenparentlessallday.

Herphonerangoutandwenttovoicemail.

‘Whereisyourmum?’Iasked.

Roxyjerkedherheadinthedirectionofthehouse.‘Inside.’

‘Andshe’sphoningyou?’

She let out a deep sigh as she jumped down from her chair and

stoodup.‘Longstory.Anothertime,eh?’

ItwasasifRoxyhadbeenprickedwithapinandhersighwasall

theairescaping,alongwithherfunandlivelinessandeverythingelse.

Iwouldswearthatevenhersticky-uphairlayflatteronherhead.She

lockedthedoortothegarageandputthekeyunderastone.Shesaid

nothing:sheknewIwaswatchingsoIknewIwastrusted.

Sheturnedandaflickeroflightreturnedtohereyeswhenshesaid,

‘Midnight.’

‘Tonight?’

‘No.Intenyears’time.Ofcoursetonight.’Sheturnedtoslipthrough

the gap in the fence. ‘It’s the witching hour,’ she said, and then she

was gone, leaving me staring into the thick woods, trying to piece

togetherwhathadbeengoingon.

Roxyhadsaid,‘Icanproveit,youknow.’

Whatdidshemeanbythat?Wasit,‘Icanproveit:shedidamagic

spell,’whichofcoursewouldbeyetmorenonsense?

Buttherewassomethinginthewayshesaidit,alightofcertaintyin

hereyes,whichIcouldn’tstopthinkingabout.

Yousee,IwasonthepointofdismissingRoxyasaharmlesscrazy:

we’dhavebeenfriendlybutnot‘friends’,theboyandthewomaninthe

forest cottage would have been left in peace, and Roxy would have

grownoutofherbeliefinthe‘witchinthewoods’.

But then the disaster happened, and Roxy and I became the last

peopletoseethewitchalive.

Iwatchedthegirlgobackupthelane.Iwantedtogowithher,makesureshe

gothomesafely,butIdonotthinkMamwouldhaveapproved.Besidesshe

didnotlivefar: on theother sideofthewoods. She hada funnylittle shed

withanilluminatedsignhangingbythedoor.Iknewthatmuch.

Biffa jumped into my arms as I stood there. It meant that, when the girl

turnedbacktolook,shedidnotseemyhandgivealittlewavebecauseitwas

sortofhiddenbyBiffa.Iamnotsure.Maybeshedidsee.

R.Minto.

Itwassewnintoherjacketonalabel.IsawitwhenIcarriedherin.She

alsohadsomethingwithwiresgoingintothepocket.Probablyoneofthose

mobiletelephonesorsomething.

Iwatchedherallthewaytothebendinthe laneincasesheturnedback

again, but she did not. Biffa hopped out of my arms then and gave a little

growl,whichmademesmile.

‘Doyoulikeher,Biffa?’Isaidinouroldlanguage.‘Metoo.’

I sniffed the air in the lane. The weather had been hot for spring, but it

wouldcooldownlater:Icouldsmellit.Theskywascloudless,so,whenthe

sundipped,theeveningwouldgetcoldandMamwouldwantthefiretobelit

tokeepthechillfromtheoldstonehouse.

Ishouldhavegonerightawaytothewoodstoretogetsomeoldlogs,butI

was still thinking of R. Minto,and herfriend inthe bushes,and how Mam

hadbeensuspiciousofthem.ThenBiffacamebackwithabigbeetleshehad

caughtanddumpeditonitsbackbymyfeet,whereitlay,wagglingitslegs.

‘No,Biff!’ Ilaughed. ‘Leave the beetles alone!’Icroucheddownto flick

the insect back the right way up, and it scuttled gratefully into the

undergrowth.

Icompletelyforgotaboutfetchingtheoldlogs,whichturnedouttobethe

biggestmistakeofthelastthousandyears.

Itwaspastmidnightwhenthefiresirensstarted.

I got up to look out of the bedroom window – Libby’s bedroom,

whereIhadbeenmovedtomakeroomforAuntyAliceandJasper.My

stomachlurchedwithfearwhenIsawtheglowofthefirecomingfrom

thewoods,fierceenoughtolightupthesky,althoughitwasstillquite

adistance.

Iknewinstantlywhatwasburning.

‘Dad!Dad!’Icalled.

‘Strewth!’ I heard. ‘That’s a hell of a conflagration.’ I swung round

andJasperwasstandingbehindmeinhispyjamabottoms,leaningon

astackofboxesthathadn’tbeenunpackedyet.

AsmellofsmokewasseepingthroughtheopenwindowsoIshutit.

‘There’sahousethere,youknow,’Isaid.‘Inthewoods.’

‘Really? Well, I hope they’re all right. Ghastly things fires, eh?’

Jasper scratched his thick beard and his fingers travelled from his

cheektohisthroattohischestanditwashairyallthewaydown.The

beardneveractuallystopped,butjustmergedwiththerestofthehair

onhisbody.

Iheardthedoorbellgodownstairs.Ibetthat’sRoxy,Ithought.

DadopenedthefrontdoornottoRoxybuttoafireman,andwhileI

randownthestairshespoketoDad.Throughthedoor,Icouldseea

fireengineinthestreet,itsbluelightsflashing.

‘Sorrytowakeyou,sir,butwehavetorunahosedownthesideof

yourhouse.Ifthatfirespreads,itposesarisktothebuildings,sowe

havetosoakthetrees,’hesaid.

The firefighter wasn’t expecting a refusal, I could tell that much,

because the others were already unspooling the hose from the fire

engineandopeningupthefirehydrantrightoutsideourhouse.

‘Noneedforalarm,son,’thefiremansaidtome.‘Justaprecaution.’

‘Whataboutthehouse?Thewitch…thehouseinthewoods?Are

theyallright?’

‘Dunno anything about that, son. Now ’scuse me.’ He turned his

attention to the others, who were by now running up the junk-filled

alley,shiftingstufftomakeroom.

Hewaslying.Iknewitatonce,andIfeltscared.

I stood on thefront path,watching the firemen. That’s whenI saw

Roxy, in short pyjamas, shivering in her doorway, fingering the

dressing behind her ear. Our eyes met and we both knew what the

otherwasthinking.Ibeckonedforhertocomeover.Iwantedtotalkto

her about what was happening, about the possibility that the witch’s

housewasonfire,thatpeoplemightbehurtorworse…

Sheshookherheadandpointedupstairs,mouthingtheword‘Mum’.

Thenmymumcameupbehindme.

‘Come on, Aidan. We mustn’t get in the way. If you want to see

what’sgoingon,lookfromupstairs.’

There were loads of neighbours in slippers out in the street,

watching the commotion, and I didn’t see what difference I was

making,butIcouldn’tbebotheredtoargue.

Back at the bedroom window, I saw another fire truck arrive, one

withahugeladder,whichtheyextendedhigherthanthehouses.The

firemanwhoclimbedupitthendirectedthoseonthegroundwhereto

pointthehose,andahugearcofwatersprayedoutoverthetreestill

theyweresoakedanddripping.

Theorangeglowoffire,meanwhile,grewbiggerandspread,getting

closer.Showersofsparkswouldflyupintothepurpleskywhenatree

came crashing down, then a few minutes later that part of the wood

wentupinflamesasthesparkscaughtholdofthedryleavesonthe

ground.

Dadcameintomyroom.‘Packsomeclothes,son.Useyoursports

bag.Thefirefighterssaywemayhavetoevacuate.’

Istared,notunderstandingwhathe’dsaid.

‘Evacuate.Leavethehouse.Forsafety.Chop-chop.’

‘But…we’resafehere,aren’twe?’Iprotested.

‘Notifthefiregetsmuchcloser.Look.’Hepointedoutofmywindow

whereanothertree,muchcloserthantheothers,hadsmalltonguesof

flamelickingupitstrunk.Icouldmakeoutthebranchescatchingfire,

beforethehosewasdirectedonitandtheflameswentout.

Ipulledonsomejeansovermypyjamasandfoundathicksweater

andputthatontoo.

GraceDarlingCloseisacirculardeadend,andtheroadhadfilled

withvehiclesandpeople.SueandPru,theladiesfromnextdoor,both

wore identical blue dressing gowns. Sue was holding a huge and

cross-looking ginger tom that was hissing at every passing fireman.

‘Ach – don’t vorry: he iss just being friendly,’ I heard her say in her

Germanaccent,whichIthoughtwasstretchingthetruth.

As well as the three fire engines, I counted two police cars, a fire

support car and a yellow ambulance car. As I watched, another car

pulled up, and two women got out, one of them holding a movie

camera and a portable light. She immediately started filming pretty

much everything: the trucks, the huddles of neighbours. I wandered

aboutinmyslippers,justlookingatthisstrangegathering.

Sue and Pru were talking to the reporter. ‘Our cats are very atch-

itated,aren’tzey,Prudence?’saidSue,andPrunoddedinagreement.

‘Thomas here has already emptied his bowels vere he shouldn’t,

haven’tyou,Thomas,youvick-edoldsing?’Thomasyawned.

AndthenIheardavoice,risingabovethegeneralhubbub.

‘Putmedown!PutmeDOWN, darnyou. I’m fine– willyou letme

GO!’Alongwitheveryoneelse,Iturnedinthedirectionofthevoice.It

wascomingfromRoxy’shouse,wheretwofiremenwerecarryingwhat

lookedlikealargechairdownthefrontsteps,drapedinblanketswith

aheadinahairnetpokingthroughthetopofthem.

‘Here! Put me here! No HERE, you imbecile! Are you DEAF?’ A

hand appeared from under the blankets and actually hit one of the

firemenonhisyellowhelmet,intimewithherwords:‘Stop!’Hit.‘Stop!’

Hit.‘Stop!’Hit.

They got to the end of the path and put the chair down, and only

thendidIrealisethatitwasawheelchair.

‘Wha’ on earth is wrong with you all?’ she said, gathering her

blanketsabouther.

Outofslappingrange,thefiremanshehadbeenhittingmanageda

wrysmile.‘You’rewelcome,madam.Onlytoohappytobeofservice

andsaveyoufromafierygrave.’

‘Fiery grave, my foot! I was perfec’ly fine! What on earth … GET

THAT DAMN THING OUT OF ME FACE! HOW DARE YOU!’ Her

attention had switched to the camerawoman who, spotting the

commotion,hadscuttledoverandstartedfilmingtheladyscreamingat

thefiremen.

‘I’msorry,’saidthecamerawoman.‘Iwasjustwonderingifyoucould

sayafewwordsfortelevisionnews.’

‘Yes, I can,’ said the lady. ‘Is that thing on? Right: here are a few

wordsfortelevisionnews,’andsheletoffavolleyofswearwordslike

F…andB…andanotherB…plussomethatIdidn’tevenknow,and

it was such a vicious string of swearing, and so loud, that even the

firemanshehadhitstartedtolaugh.

Thecamerawomansaid,‘Er…thanks,’andslunkoff.

ThenRoxywasnexttome.

‘Met my mum, have you?’ she said, indicating the lady in the

wheelchair.

‘He-hello?’Istammered.‘Howdoyoudo?’

Shedidn’tevenlookatme.

‘Go’way!’

We didn’t evacuate in the end. Slowly the chaos in the street died

down. One by one, the cars left. The ladder on the fire engine was

retracted.

The smell of woodsmoke hung about and the air smelt like the

leftoversofahugeGuyFawkesbonfire.

Astheskyintheeaststartedtolighten,theChiefFireOfficer(who

hadtwostripesonhishelmet–theonlythingIrememberfromatripto

the fire station in Reception Class) was making his way around the

groupsofneighbourswhohadnotyetgoneinside.

Roxy had wheeled her mum back inside. I hadn’t spoken with her

anymore(andhadn’treallywantedto).

Dad was drinking from a mug of tea and had made one for the

fireman who had been up the ladder. I don’t think they noticed me

sittingonthestepbehindthem.

‘… Can happen so easily, mate,’ the fireman was saying and he

slurped his tea thirstily. ‘One spark, dry conditions, bit of a breeze,

y’know?’

‘Was anyone hurt?’ said Dad, as if he could read my mind. The

firemantookanothersipandlookedthoughtful.

‘I’m not really supposed to say until it’s official, but, well …’ He

paused,andDaddidn’tprompthim.‘It’snotgonnahelphimnow,isit?’

Him?Didhejustsay‘him’?Myheartplummeted.

‘Or her, I suppose,’ he continued. ‘Anyways … one body that we

knowof.Wedon’tevenknowwholivedthereyet.Wecouldn’tgetthe

trucksdownthelane,andthehosesweren’tlongenough.Theynever

stoodachance.’

They? Was that ‘they’ as in ‘he or she’ or ‘they’ as in … I was

confusedandtired,anddidn’tknowwhattothink.

Dadtuttedandshookhishead.‘Dreadfulwaytogo.’

‘They’reallbadifyou’renotready.Butthis?Probablyquickerthan

most. You suffocate long before you burn.’ He smiled as if this was

encouraging,butIwasstillunbelievablysad.Irestedmyforeheadon

mykneesandfeltmyselfwantingtocry.IthinkImadeaslightsobbing

noisein my throatbecause itmade Dad andthe firemanlook down.

ThefiremanspokeandhisgentleGeordieaccentwasreassuring.

‘Ha’way,son.Timeyougotsomesleep,eh?It’sbinahellofanight!’

I stood up and gave a stiff nod and I felt a tear run down each

cheek.Iwipedthemonmysleeve.

‘It’s…it’sthesmoke.It’sgotinmyeyes,’Isaid,thoughIdon’tknow

why.

‘Aye. It does that. We all get it,’ he said and patted my shoulder.

‘Haveashower,son.You’llfeelbetterandyouwon’tsmellit.’

Iwokeupatteno’clockandspentafewminutesstaringoutofLibby’s

bedroomwindow.The skywasa clearlightbluewith noclouds,and

therewereafewlonewispsofsmokerisingfrombeyondthetrees.I

openedthewindowandtherewasstillafaintsmellofburningwood.

Downstairs the local TV channel was showing pictures of firemen

and people in white overalls standing by the burnt-out shell of a

building. And by ‘burnt-out’ I mean it was just a few blackened walls

and a doorway, and half of an upper floor supporting a bit of roof. I

couldmakeoutthe remains ofatableandsomeother furniture,and

the camera showed close-ups of some burnt books, a stone sink, a

bookshelfandapicturehangingwonkilyonthewall.

‘…blazewaswellestablishedbythetimefirefightersarrivedonthescene.Thesecludedhouse,

partsofwhicharebelievedtodatebacktotheeighteenthcentury,wascompletelydestroyedin

theinferno,whichthefireservicespokespersondescribedasoneoftheworsthousefiresshe

hadeverseen.’

ChiefFireOfficerHarryOxley:‘Wehaverecoveredonebodyfromthescenewhichhasbeen

removedforforensicexamination.Icannotsaymorethanthatatthemoment.’

Reporter:‘Canyousaywhatstartedthefire?’

CFOOxley:‘Atthis moment in time, we arepursuing all avenuesofenquiry, but thereis

nothingatpresentthatindicatesfoulplay.’

Reporter:‘Thefirespreadtootherpartsofthewoods,andlocalsfromthenearbyDelaval

Estatewerewarnedtheymighthavetoevacuate…’

Atthispoint,thepicturecuttoourstreet,andthereIwas,gazingupat

thefiremanontheladder.NormallyI’dhavegone,‘Dad!Dad!I’mon

telly!’ but I didn’t. I just watched in glum fascination as the reporter

finishedherpiece.

‘…finallybroughtundercontrolshortlybeforedawn.Thearea hasbeencordoned offwhile

fireand policeinvestigatorstry to establishboththecause ofthefire and theidentityofthe

unfortunatevictim.ThisisJaneyCalvertinWhitleyBayforNorthToday.’

WhenIheardBANGBANGBANGonthewindow,IjumpedsohardI

spiltmilkonthesofa.ItwasRoxy.

‘Stillinyourpyjamas?’shesaid,herhighvoicemuffledbytheglass.

‘Seeyouinthegarageintenminutes.It’simportant.’

Thetreeswerestilldrippingfromtheirsoakingthepreviousnightand

thegroundunderfootwassoftpalemud,withfreshfootprints.Roxy,I

figured,must already beinside, and Ipushed the door, whichswung

open,butnoonewasthere.

Justthen,Roxysqueezedherselfthroughthegapinthefence,her

tinyfootfirst,hertousledheadlast.

‘Hiya,’ shesaid, immediatelynoticingthe doorwasopen. ‘Howdid

yougetin?’

‘Itwasopen,’Isaid,thenraisedmyfingertomylipstosay‘shh’and

pointedtothefootprintsinthemud,which,itseemed,werenothers.

Now that I looked, I could see that the trail led inside the garage.

Instinctively,Ithink,Roxyloweredhervoice.

‘Someone’sbeeninhere.Oneofthefiremen,youreckon?’shesaid.

Ipointedatthesmallfootprints.‘It’dhavetobeonewithverydainty

feet.’

Shegaveherlittlebarkoflaughter.‘Verygood,Sherlock!Butwhat

aboutmylaptop?’

Ishrugged, andshepushed pastme totheother sideof thedesk

whereshekeptthecomputer.Thenshejustscreamed.

AndImeanscreamed.

Forallhersmallframe,itwasabigshriek,followedbylittlegasps,

‘Ah-ah-ah,’then,‘Aidan!’

‘What?’ Iwasjust standingthere,unable todoanything becauseI

hadnoideawhathadcausedhertoshriek.

Roxy’s eyeswere fixed on somethingunder the desk,something I

couldn’tsee.

‘Th-there’sa…aperson.’

OK,sowhatweshouldhavedonewascalmlyleavetheshed-cum-

garage,lockingthedoorbehindus,andcallthepolice.

Thatwouldhavebeensensible.That’swhatyoushoulddoifyou’re

everinthepositionoffindingapersonhidingunderyourdeskinanold

workman’shut.

Instead I stepped forward and seized the desk with both hands,

tipping it towards me on two legs till it crashed over, revealing a

smallishfigurecurledupin aballlikeascared hedgehogandvisibly

trembling.

‘Whatthe…’

‘Whothe…’

Slowly, like a leaf uncurling in spring, the figure lifted its head,

straighteneditsbackandlookedupatusstandingeitherside.

‘You!’RoxyandIsaidinunison.

The boy from the cottage blinked hard at the light coming through

the doorway and slowly stood up and said, ‘Memam … memam …

memam…’

Justthat.Babblingandblinking,lookingfirstatmeandthenatRoxy.

She,ofcourse,understoodfirst.

‘Yourmam?’

Henodded.‘Memam.’Heswallowedhardandcarriedonblinkingin

thelight.

ThelastfriendIhadeverhadwasJackMcGonagal.ItwasJackwhochanged

everything.

Youprobablydonotremember1934.Me,Ilikedit.Wehadnorefrigerator

ortelephone,butnordidmostpeople.Televisionsandcomputershadhardly

even been invented and it would be another sixty or more years before

everyoneusedemailandtheinternet,andeverybodykneweverythingabout

everybody else. Which was not entirely a good thing if you were trying to

hideasecret.

Bythen,MamandIhadbeenlivinginOakHousefornearlyeightyyears.

Mamhadboughtitin1856for£300cash.Youcoulddothatthen.Itwasall

legal,andMamandIhadenoughmoney.

Itwascertainlyremote,andperfectforus.Therewerenohousingestates

nearbythen.Wegrewstuffonalittlepatchofgroundthathadbeencleared

when the cottage wasbuilt. We had a goat calledAmy andsome chickens.

(Wedidnotgivenamestothechickens,becausewesometimesatethem.)

Biffalovedit.Thehousehadbeenemptyforawhilewhenwemovedin,

andtherewerealotofmice.Biffacaughtthemallwithinafewweeks.

Wereadalot,and–onceithadbeeninvented–welistenedtotheradio,

whichwecalledthewireless.

Onceortwiceaweek,MamwouldcycleintoWhitleyBayonourrickety

oldbicycle,andsometimesIwouldgoinsteadtofetchgroceries.Imadesure

IwentoutsideofschoolhourssothatnoonewouldthinkIwasplayingthe

wag.

TherewasagroceryshopinEastbourneGardensrunbyacouple,Mrand

MrsMcGonagal.Hewastallandthinwithhugeredearsandsharpeyes,and

she was short and dumpy. They had a boy my age called Jack who helped

behindthecounter.

JackandIeventuallygottothepointwherewewouldsay‘hello’andhe

oncehelpedmeputthechainbackonmybike.Ilethimhavearideonitto

payhimbackandhesaid,‘Wheredoyoulive?’

‘Hexham,’Ilied.Iknewtheroutine.‘I’mjustvisitingmyaunt.’

Thatwasthestorythatworked,ifanyoneasked–whichtheyseldomdid

becausewedidnottalktomanypeople.Hexhamisatownaboutfortymiles

away:nearenoughnottobeunusual,butfarenoughnottobefamiliar.

‘Wheredoyougotoschool,then?’askedJack.Thiswasonaschool-day

afternoon,atabout4pm.

‘In Hexham,’ I said. ‘Only our schools are closed this week. It’s a local

holiday.’

‘Cor,’saidJack.‘Jammy!’

Andthatwasit:nofurtherquestions.IlikedJack.Igavehimabackeron

mybikedowntotheLinksandwethrewstonesatatincan.Hecouldwalkon

hishands,andwhenhetriedtoteachmewelaughedandlaughed.Itwasfun.

ItwasquitealongtimesinceI’dhadafriend,andJackseemedabitlonely

too.So,whenitbegantogetdarkandIwouldhavehadtocyclehomewith

nolights(andriskbeingstoppedbyapolicemanwhowouldtakemehome

and ask awkward questions), I said to Jack, ‘I am coming back here on

Saturday:shallwemeet?’

Andsowedid.Therewasabrassbandplayingonthebandstand,andwe

atechips(whichIbought),lookingatthebigwhitedomeoftheSpanishCity

pleasuregardensandJacktoldmeabouthisdadwhohadonceshotamoose

inCanada,and…

WhyamItellingyouthis?

BecauseyouhavetounderstandhowhurtIwaswhenmynewfriendJack

–funny,skinnyJackwithhisknobblykneesandhisbaggyshorts–betrayed

me,althoughitwasnotevenhisfault.Well,notentirely.

You seeJackgrew older andIdid not. Itwasalways theway withfriends,

anditwasalwayshard.Inevergotusedtoit.

Afterayearortwoofknowinghim,Jackstartedtowearlongtrousers.A

year or two after that, he grew a wispy moustache, and his voice became

deeper.

Sofarasheknew,Icametovisitmy‘aunt’mostweekends.Ihadseveral

periodswhenIsaidIwasrecoveringfromamysteryillness,whichrequired

longer stays to benefit from the sea air, and there were always the summer

holidays.

Jackwouldevencometoourhouseinthewoods.Mamlikedhimbutshe

waswary.Shewasnotkeenonanybodygettingtooclose.

‘It will end badly, Alve,’ she would warn. I did not want to believe her.

Jackwouldbedifferent,Iwassureofit.

IfJackthoughtitoddthatIdidnotgrowtaller,orgrowhaironmylegs,he

saidnothing.Notsohismother,though.

‘Ee, Alfie Monk, your mother not feedin’ you or summin’?’ Mrs

McGonagalsaidtomeonedayintheshop.‘Lookatye!There’smoregrowth

onamouldycheese.’

‘Ma!’ saidJack, but hewaslaughing too.Idon’tthink heintendedto be

mean,but,whenhelaughed,IshrivelledinsidebecauseI’dseenitallbefore.

Thesuspicion,themistrust,thegradual–orsometimessudden–withdrawal

offriendshipfromthestrangeboywhodoesnotgetolder.

Notlongafter,Iheardthemtalkingaboutme.Ihadcomeintotheshop;the

tinkling bell that normally announced a customer’s arrival was broken, so

nobodyknewIwasthere.

IheardJackinthebackroomoftheshop.Hewasrepeatinghismother’s

jokefrombeforeinhisnew,deepervoice.

‘…moregrowthonamouldycheese,Itellyou!’

‘Comeon, Jack.Don’tmockthe afflicted.He’s prob’lygot somegrowth

conditionorsummin’.’Thevoicewasayoungwoman:Jean Palmer,whom

Jackhadstartedcourting.Ihadmetheronceortwice.Shewaspretty.

‘Alfie’sdifferent.It’snotright,’saidJack.‘He’snotchangedinfiveyears.

Fiveyears!Andhaveyouheardhowhetalks?Reckonshe’sfromHexham.

Well,IknowHexham,andtheydon’ttalklikethatoutthere.’

By now, I had moved from my position by the counter and was sort of

crouched down behind a stack of cardboard boxes. I did not want them to

comeoutandseethatIhadbeenlistening.

‘Aye, he does talk funny, I’ll give y’that,’ Jean Palmer said. ‘But I like

him.’

‘He’snotright,Jean.Andhisaunty’snotright,either.Neverlooksyouin

theeyewhenshe’stalkingtoyou.Livingoutinthewoodslikethat–witha

goatofallthings.OldLizzieRichardsontoldMasheusedtoknowheryears

ago,inNorthShields,whenshehadasonofherown,andhewascalledAlfie

aswell.That’sodd,isn’tit?’

‘LizzieRichardson?She’sovereighty.’

‘That’s whatI’m saying, Jean.And, if MrsRichardson knewherback in

Shields,thatputsthatMrsMonkatsixty-oddifshe’saday.’

‘Well,she’slookin’goodonitisallIcansay.’

Atthatpoint,anothercustomercameinandshouted, ‘Hello?’and hardly

noticedasIscuttledout.Icycledhome,despondent.

Thiswashowithappened,againandagain,althoughthistimewasquicker

thanIwasusedto.

You see, it is simply not possible to get no older and expect nobody to

notice.People talk;peoplegossip.You canoftengetawaywithitformuch

longerthanyoumightexpect,buteventuallypeoplebehavejustlike,well…

people.

Theymakeupreasonstoexplaintheinexplicable,andMamandIhelped

them,creatingalittleconfusion.WasIMam’sson,forexample,orwasIher

nephew? Mam would often encourage people to think that her own mother

livedinthesamehouse.

Andoldpeoplewithlongmemories,likeLizzieRichardson,eventuallydie

andtaketheirsuspicionswiththem,andthosethatareleftconcludethatthey

were the ramblings of an ageing mind because the truth is just too

unbelievable.

Butyoucannotfooleveryone.Notforever.

By 1939, Jack was sixteen: a tall young man with a lopsided grin. I had

boughthimapacketofcigarettesforhissixteenthbirthdaybecausethatwas

whatyoudid back then.He offeredme one,butIhadtried tobacco before,

years ago. I knewI did notlike it,so I said no andhe gave mea sneering

look.

OnedayinthesummerIwentroundtotheshopinEastbourneGardens.It

was a few weeks after I had overheard him talking in the back room. Mrs

McGonagalshookherhead.

‘He’snotin,son.He’sverybusythesedays.He’shelpin’intheshopalot,

sohecannitcomeout.’

Well,whichwasit?Ithought.Ishenotin,orisheinandunabletocome

out?Iknewshewaslying.

‘Shall…shallIcomebacktomorrow?’

‘No,son.Ithinkit’sbestifyoudon’t.LikeIsay,he’sbusyintheshop.’

‘W-willyoutellhimIwashere?’

‘Aye.’ Her attention had already switched to the next customer. ‘Mrs

Abercrombie.How’syourlittleQueenie?Ee,haveyouheardthenewsabout

MrHitler?There’sgoingtobeanannouncementlater.’

ThenIheardit:agirl’slaugh,agiggle,fromthebackroom.Thedoorto

thebackwasclosed,butnotshuttightandthenoisecamethrougheasily.So

didthesmellofcigarettes.

I knew then, just as you know now, that theywere laughing at me. That

JackwastherewithJean,andIunderstood.

Hedidnotwanttohangaroundwithaboywholookedlikehewaseleven.

Aboywhowouldnotbeallowedintodances,aboywhodidnotsmoke,aboy

whowasnotinterestedingirls,aboywhowasjust,well…aboy.Astrange

boy:thatwasme.Isme.

Iswallowedhardandtookadeepbreath.Ithadhappenedbefore,butIwas

stillangry.

IwasoutsidewhenJackandJeancameoutoftheshopdoorandwentin

oppositedirections.

I watched him walk off up the street, my cheeks burning with shame.

Centuriesofstayingintheshadows,ofnotcausingafusswerecastasideand

Irantocatchup.‘Hey!’Ishouted.‘Hey,Jack!’Heturned.

‘Oh.Hello,Alfie.’Icouldseehewasblushing.

WhatshouldIsaynow?Ihadnotworkedthisout.Foramoment,westood

facingeachother:mestillaboyinshorts,heayoungman.Hetookalanguid

dragonhiscigaretteandlookeddownatme.Hewasmuchtaller.Therewas

nopointinpretending.

‘I heard what you said. To Jean. The other week. About me not being

right.’

‘Ah.Hmm.’Hechewedhisbottomlipandlookedawaybeforeexhalinga

plumeofsmoke.

‘Ithoughtyouweremyfriend.’

‘I am, Alfie. I am, only …’ His eyes flicked to the side. He was

embarrassedbutIdidnotcare.‘Look,shallwesitdown?’

Therewasalowwallandwesat.Heunbuttonedhisjacket,andhitchedup

thekneesofhistrousersbeforesitting.Itwasallso…grown-up.

‘Thethingis,Alfie…’andhepaused.Idonotthinkhequiteknewwhat

‘thething’was.Ispokeinthepause.

‘Iembarrassyou–isthatit?’

Hehesitatedbeforesaying,‘No,Alfie!’butthetruthwasinthehesitation,

andittoldmeeverythingIneededtoknow.Icouldfeelmythroattightening

withemotion.

‘Idonothavetobelikethis,youknow!’Isaid,myvoicegettinglouder.‘I

canreverseit!’

‘Youcanreverseit?Reversewhat?’

IhadsaidmorethanIhadintended,soIkeptquiet,butIwaspanting.

‘Listen,Alfie,’Jacksaid,gettingtohisfeet.‘You’reagoodboy.Youwere

agoodfriend.But…well,peoplechange.’Hegroundthecigaretteunderhis

shoe.

Andthatwasit.HeturnedandcarriedonupEastbourneGardens,andonce

againItriedtoswallowthelumphighinmychest.

IdidnottellMam:itwouldonlyupsether.ThateveningImilkedAmy,and

turnedthecheesesinthelittlecheesepantryasusual.Allthewhile,Ihadthe

samelumpinmythroatthatIcouldnotswallow.

Mamand I listenedto thewireless.Mr Chamberlain, thePrime Minister,

announcedthatwewereatwarwithGermanyagain,andwebothagreedthat

itonlyseemedlikeyesterdaythatthelastwarhadfinished.

FinallyIcried.Sittingthere,infrontofthefire,Ifeltafattearrolldown

mycheekandthesobbrokeovermyheartlikeawaveoverashipwreck.

MamthoughtIwascryingbecauseofthewar,butIwasnot.Ilonged–for

theumpteenthtime–togrowup,tobelikeJack,likealltheboysIhadever

knownwhohadgrownup.

CouldMamreadmymind?Itcertainlyfeltlikeitsometimes.Shegotup

andcameovertome,sittingonthesideofthechairandrubbingmyback.I

traced the two little scars on her upper arm with my fingers as I had done

countlesstimesbefore,whileshesangamournful,lowtune.Thewordswere

intheancientlanguageweshared,andMam’swaveringvoicedeepenedmy

sadnesssothatIweptlikeasmallchildwithmyheadonherlap.

IthoughtthenthatIwouldnotseeJackMcGonagalagain,andthatthiswar

wouldprobablyendtheworld.

Iwaswrongonbothcounts.

Wehadknownmanywars,MamandI,butthisonewasdifferent.Inallofthe

otherwars,thefightingwasnowherenearus.Ittookplaceinbattles,fought

bysoldiersornavies,andwewerenotinvolved.TheclosestIhadeverbeen

was all those years ago when the tribe from beyond the Roman Wall had

saileduptheTyneandwehadfled.

We had once had to travel past the fields where a huge battle had taken

place weeks before, where the smell of war and unburied soldiers still

lingeredintheair.

But, with this one, it was the bombs that made the difference. Now the

enemycametous,anditwasallonebattle,allthetime.Againandagain,in

1940and1941,theGermanplaneswouldflyoverus.Usuallyitwasatnight;

sometimesitwasintheday.

The bombs were aimed at factories in Newcastle, or at the shipyards in

Wallsendand North Shields. But theiraimwaspoor.Mamcameback from

theshopsonedayandsatdownheavilyinthechairinthebackroom.

‘Nearly a hundred souls, they reckon, Alve. Sheltering from the bombs,

theywere. Thesheltertook a directhit.And MrMcGonagalfrom theshop

wasinthere.’

PoorJack.Hisdad.

(Whentheyhadcountedeverybody,therewere107deadfromonebomb,

whichhadhitthelemonadefactoryinNorthShieldswiththeair-raidshelter

beneathit.)

Beforethe warstarted,Ihadbeenworriedthatgossip wouldbeginabout

Mam and me. It only needed one person to start talking. As the wartime

monthsturnedtoyears,however,wefound–aswehadfoundbefore–thatit

wascomparativelyeasytogounnoticed.

If you keep your head down, and cause no trouble, officials will ignore

you. They have more important things to worry about, especially during a

war.Awomanandher‘nephew’livingaquietlifecouldsafelybeignored.

So, for a year or more, we stayed put. There were forms to fill in for

obtaining foods that were rationed. Mam was good at that: she had birth

certificatesandofficialdeedsthatwouldconvincealmostanyone.

Thanks to our chickens, we ate a lot of eggs, because meat was in short

supply.Wewouldalsoeatchickennowandthen,whenabirdstoppedlaying

andwekilledit.Thatwasusuallymyjob.ItwaswhatIwasdoingwhenJack

calledroundinhisuniform.

Not a soldier’s uniform, though – he was still too young. He was a War

ReserveConstable:partofthepoliceforce.

Jack’s War Reserve Constable uniform looked just like a policeman’s

uniform, except ill-fitting, with the sleeves touching his knuckles, and the

trousersexposinghissocks,butIcouldtellhewasveryproudtobewearing

it.

Ihadnotseenhiminmorethanayear, andhewas even taller and more

grown-up-lookingthanbefore.Hemusthavebeennearlyeighteen,andIfelt

thefamiliarheart-wrenchofsadnessthatIexperiencedseeingsomeonethatI

knewgrowolderandleavemebehind.

He was cheery enough – cocky, even – when he let himself into the

backyardwhereIwasstalkinganelderlychicken.

‘Goodmorning?’hecalled.Mamturnedfirsttoseehiminhisuniformand

tinhelmet.

‘Hello,Jack,love,’shesaid,althoughtherewasawarynoteinhervoice.

‘Ee–lookatyouinyourWRCstuff.Helookssogrown-up,eh,Alfie?’

Igruntedareply.Iwasnotsopleasedtoseehim.Mam,though,wasvery

goodatbeing‘normal’.

‘Haveyoucycledallthewayhereinthisheat?Wouldyoulikeaglassof

water?’

‘Yes,please,MrsMonk.’HeavoidedlookingatmebutIknewsomething

wasup.Hewasbeingtooformal.

‘And you can take your tin helmet off. I divvent think Mr Hitler will be

bombingustoday.’

Wesatinthebackyard,lookingupatthedensetreesonthehill,andJack

drankhiswater,stealingglancesatme.

‘We wereso sorryto hear aboutyour father, isn’tit, Alfie?’ Mamsaid. I

nodded.Jacksaidnothing.

Therewasalong,tensemomentbeforeMambrokethesilenceagain.

‘So what brings you out here, Jack? Have you just come to say hello?

We’venotseenyouinsolong.’

IcouldtellfromMam’svoicethatshethoughtsomethingwaswrong.

‘Well,asamatteroffact,MrsMonk…’andthatiswhenIknew.Nobody

usesthatphrase‘asamatteroffact’whenitisgoingtobegoodnews.

‘… as a matter of fact, I have some enquiries of an official nature. If I

may?’

Mamusedtosaythatauniformcouldmakesomeoneabetterpersonora

worse person, but never the same person. Jack turned to me as he took a

notebookoutofhisoversizedtunic.

‘Howoldareyou,Alfie?’

Andsoitbegan:aninterrogationofme,Mam,howlongwehadlivedhere,

whyofficialdocuments(whichJacksaidhenowhadaccessto)didnotseem

tomatchup,andmore.

Mam remained calm. ‘I’m sure it’s just a clerical mix-up, Jack, love. As

you know, Alfie has a growth deficiency. Markandaya’s Syndrome type

three.’

Thiswasaliethathadworkedwellinthepast.Amysteriousillnesswhich

‘raninourfamily’toaccountformyunusualappearance.Itwasnotworking

onJack.

‘Ah, well, I remember you saying this before, Mrs Monk. I’ve checked

withDrMenziesinWhitleyBayandheknowsofnosuchillness.’

‘Well, it is very rare,’ I said, but I came over as defensive, and not

believable.Jackignoredme.Atthatmoment,thechickenIhadbeenpursuing

before Jack’s arrival came close to me, pecking at the ground, and in one

swiftmovementIdartedoutmyrighthandandgrabbeditbytheneck.

‘Take itslegs,’ I barked at Jack as the chicken flapped around. ‘Goon –

quickly!’ Jack was flailing around, timidly trying to hold the squirming

chicken’slegs.‘Right,holdtightandpulltowardsyou.’

Ashedidso,Ipulleddownsharplyonthechicken’sheaduntilIfeltasoft

snapandthebirdwentlimp.Itswingsflappedforabitandthenstopped.The

wholethingwasoverinseconds.

‘Is … is it dead?’ Jack had turned pale and was shaking a little. Heaven

helphimifheevergoesintobattle,Ithought.

‘Ihopeso,’Isaid.‘Becausewearegoingtoeatit.’

Mamsteppedforwardandtookthedeadbirdfromme,placingitinJack’s

upturnedhelmet.

‘No,Alfie.ThisisforJack.Takeithometoyourmam,love.Comebackin

a month for another one, eh? But erm … do not worry yourself any more

aboutthosemix-ups,eh?Ithappensallthetime.IamcertainaWRChasgot

farmoreimportantthingstoworryabout.’Shebrushedachickenfeatheroff

Jack’sshoulderandpattedhimonthechest.

AndsoJackcycledoff,hisupturnedtinhelmetslungoverhisarmlikea

shoppingbasket,containingthedeadchicken.

‘Itiswar,Alve,’saidMam,shakingherheadwhenhehadgone.‘Itdoes

the strangest things to people. You would think we had enough trouble

fightingHitler.’

Forthenextsixmonths,Jackcameback.Hewouldalwayslethimselfin

the backyard, and once Mam found him in our house, looking at our

bookshelves. It was only years later that we discovered one of our signed

Dickens novels was gone – A Tale of Two Cities. We always thought Jack

mighthavetakenit,buttherewasnowayofknowing.

‘He’s prowling,’ said Mam. ‘He’s looking for something.’ Each time we

gavehimachicken,untilwehadonlythreeleft.

ThenhestoppedcomingandMamheardhehadbeencalleduptoservein

theairforceandhadbeensentfortrainingtoScotland.

WedidnotseeJackformanyyears.

ButthenImethisson.

Itwas1962,andthememoryofthewarthathadkilledsomanypeopleand

causedsomuchmiseryworldwidewasbeginningtofade.

It had been more than twenty years since I had last spoken to Jack

McGonagal. The shop in Eastbourne Gardens had changed hands and Mrs

McGonagalhad–accordingtoMam–movedtothecountry.AndthenIsaw

Jackonthebeach.

Itwasadayinearlysummerandbackthen,beforeforeignholidayswere

affordable, the beach at Whitley would get packed with day trippers, and

holidaymakersfromtheshipyardsinScotland.

Mamlovedacrowdedbeach.Itwasathirty-minutewalkalongthewooded

path and then down the main road until we got to the coast road, with the

lighthouseat one endand barely enoughspace on thesand for ourblanket.

Mam had made herself a short-sleeved blouse, and only that morning had

finishedapairofshortsforme,inrust-colouredcorduroywithdeeppockets.

Wesatonthebeachinoursunglassesandblendedinperfectly:‘Hiddenin

plainsight,’waswhatMamsaid.

I readmy latest library book, and we ate sandwiches, and we went for a

plodge in the sea, and Mam laughed when I splashed her. Then a man

approachedmeasIwascomingoutoftheshallowwater.

‘How,son–we’reshortofagoalie.Youwanttogoingoal?’Helookeda

friendly sort. His trousers were rolled up to his knees, and he indicated a

patchofthebeachfurtherup,wheretherewerefewerpeople,andagangof

boysandacoupleofdadsweremarkingoutasmallfootballpitchinthesand.

Mamstartedtoanswer,‘Oh,Idonotthink…’

‘Yes!’ I said, and, before Mam could argue, I was following the man

towardsthegroup.Itoldhimmynameandhetoldtheothers:‘ThisisAlfie.’

Theyallnoddedandsaid,‘How,Alfie,y’areet?’

The game was fast and rough. Our team (‘shirts’) keptour shirts on, the

others (‘skins’) played bare-chested. Boys were tumbling into the soft sand

everywhere, mainly because of the speed and power of the biggest boy

playing for the skins: a wiry, muscled lad of about twelve who hacked and

stampedhiswaytowardsmeasItriedtodefendthegoal.Shotaftershotwent

pastme.

Oneofthedadswasmakingafeebleefforttoreferee,butthemostIheard

himsaywas,‘Oh,comeonnow,John!That’snotverysporting,isit?’after

Johnhadelbowedthesmallestmemberoftheshirtsinthethroat.Heawarded

afreekick,butJohnjustignoredhimandcarriedonplaying.

Then he was coming at me again, the ball at his feet, and I became

determinednottoletinanothergoal.

What is the worst that could happen? I thought in the seconds before I

divedathisfeet.ImightgetkickedalittlebutIcouldbeahero.

Andsoit was that,asJohnslowed slightly inpreparation forshooting at

thegoal,Ileaptforward,headdown,andgrabbedtheballfrombeneathhis

feet.I didnot seehim tumble overme, butI heardthe thump ashe hitthe

sandandthehowlofpainthatfollowedsecondslater.

‘Foul!’boyswereshouting.

Othersweresaying,‘Notafoul!Hegottheball!’,but,asIgottomyfeet

andturnedround,John’sfacewasnexttomine,redandfurious.

‘Youbrokemybloodywrist,’hescreamed,wavinghishandinsuchaway

thatitshoweditwasdefinitelynotbroken.Thenheclearedhisthroatwitha

longraspandspatalargeglobofthroatyspittlerightinmyface.

Thedadrefereewasrunninguptous.‘Hey,hey–that’squiteenoughof

that,JohnMcGonagal.Where’syourdad?’

And there he was, standing on the sandy touchline: Jack McGonagal,

staringfirstatme,thenathissonandthenbackatme.Hehadhardlychanged

in the intervening twenty years. He was still lean, his shock of black hair

unmarkedbygrey.

Oureyes locked fora second, andhestepped ontothesandy pitch, butI

wasalreadyedgingaway.

John’svoicefollowedme.‘You’redead,whoeveryouare.I’mgonnafind

youandflamin’pulveriseyou.’

ThenIheardJackcall,‘Alfie?’

ButIhadalreadyturnedandrun.Backintothecrowdsofsunbathers,back

to the safety of Mam. The day had been spoilt. Soon after, the clouds

gathered, which gave me an excuse to suggest to Mam that we head back

home, without telling her of myencounter withJack andJohn McGonagal.

Shewouldonlyworry.

Withgoodreason,asitturnedout.Johnwasalreadyatthebendofourlane

aswewalkedback.

There were two older boys with him, the three of them lounging on an

uprootedtreetrunkbythesideofthepath.

You do not live as long as I have without sensing big trouble when it is

sittingonatreetrunkthirtyfeetinfrontofyou.

Bigtrouble,forexample,doesnotcareifthereisanadultpresent.Ispotted

thatinJohnMcGonagalwhenhesimplyignoredtherefereeduringthegame

onthebeach.Thewayhesworeloudly,notcaringifotherpeopleheardhim.

AndnowthefactthatMamwaswithmewasnotgoingtostandintheway

ofhisgivingmeabeating.Hesimplydidnotcare.

‘Callthepolice,Mam,’Imurmured.

‘Thepolice?’shegasped.‘Whoarethoseboys?’

‘They’retrouble,Mam.Goon.’

Sheturnedandheadedbackupthelane.Therewasapublicphoneboxon

themainroad.

Avoidingofficialshadbeenanimportantpartoflyinglowforsolong.As

soonasIhadinstructedMamtocallthepolice,Iregrettedit.Ishouldtakethe

beatingandbedonewithit–nooneneedinterfereinourlives.

Inathousandyears,Ihadnevergonelookingforafight.Butifsomeone

broughtonetome?

Boys now are not taught how to fight. That is probably a good thing. If

peopledonotknowhowtofightthenperhapstheydoitlessandthat,too,is

probablyagoodthing.

Me?Iwastaught.Ihavebeentaughtfightingskillsmanytimes.

IhadlearnttheuseofashortwoodenstafffromaprizefighterfromAragon

who would tell me it was ‘the noblest of all weapons’ for it was ‘without

deceit’.

Hisvoicecamebacktomeoverthecenturiesastheboysinfrontslowly

gottotheirfeet.

‘Yermammyrunoff,hasshe?’saidthebiggestboy,whomIguessedwas

aboutfifteen.

‘She’sgonetocallthepolice,’Isaid,andtheyallchuckled.

‘Don’tfretyerself.This’llallbedonelongbeforethePeelersgethere!’

They advanced, menacingly slowly, with John between them and much

smaller.Istoodmygrounduntiltheywereaboutfouryardsaway.

‘What’sup,softlad?Yejustgonnastandthere,areye?’

Johntookanotherstepforward,andthatwaswhenImoved.Idippedintoa

crouch,grabbing ahandful ofthe fine gravelfrom thepath in myright fist

andthrowingitstraightathisface,hard.

I am a good shot, if I say so myself. Rafel the prizefighter had made us

practisethisagainandagain.ThegravelhititstargetandJohnletoutayellas

thegritwentintohiseyes.

TheothertwogoonsweredistractedandbeforeIgottomyfeetIgrabbeda

thickbranchthatwasmuchlessstraightthanIwouldhavepreferred,butat

least it was the right length and weight: about four feet long, and heavy

enoughtotakeasmallamountofefforttolift.

‘Noeffortforyou,nopainforhim,’saidRafelinmyhead.

With both arms, I swung it at the boy on John’s right and there was a

satisfyingcrackasitmadecontactwiththesideofhisknee.Heshoutedwith

painandstaggeredbackwards.

‘Kneesfirst,slowshimdown!’

Johnwasstillrubbinghiseyes,sowithoneendofthebranchIjabbedhim

hardinthestomach.Hedidnotseeitcoming,anddoubledupwithawheeze

andasqueakofpain.

Bynow,thegoononJohn’slefthadadvancedtomyrightsideandmade

contactwithawell-aimedkicktomyshinwhichhurtlikeflamingheck,and

hedodgedthebranchwhenIswungitathim.Hewasgoingtobetrouble.

‘Inmultiplecombats,targetthestrongestfirstwhenyouhavemoststren’th

…’

The boy advanced again, but this time I had the club ready, the weight

steadyinbothofmyfists.Iraiseditup,fakingablow,andashishandscame

up to defend himself Ichanged directionand swungat himhard, thumping

thesideofhischestwithablowthatknockedalltheairfromhislungs.

‘Nowfinishthejob,Alfie!’saidRafel.

Therewasanaturalmomentumforthebranchtoswingback,andIraisedit

slightly,addingmystrengthandsmashingthewoodintothesideofhishead,

knockinghimoutcold.Heslumpedtothefloor,tonguelolling.

Therewasnotimetoadmiremywork,forJohnandhisotherpalwereboth

comingatme.Hisfriendliftedhisfistforablow,andIblockeditwiththe

branch,thenkickedhiminthestomach,sendinghimflyingbackwardsintoa

patchofnettles.Hesquealedashelanded.

That left one: John, much bigger than me and with a vicious look in his

eyes.Bynow,though,Icouldtellmybranch–oldanddry–wasweakening.

Ihadhearditcrackbefore,and,whenIswungitnextathisthigh,hedodged

and,asitmadecontact,thestickbrokeinmyhands.Ithrewthepiecesathim,

missedandheguffawed.

‘Niceone,weirdo.Let’sseehowyoulikeit.’Withouttakinghiseyesoff

me, he crouched andpicked up one of thepieces, advancingtowards me. I

wouldbepowerlessagainstit,andraisedmyforearmsdefensivelyashelifted

thestickhighabovehishead.

Atthatinstant,Isawablack-and-whiteblur,andheardaninhuman,high-

pitchedgrowl,followedbyascreamfromJohn.

‘Aaagh, get it off! Oww! Aaaagh!’ He dropped the piece of stick,

scrabbling with his hands as Biffa’s claws dug deep into his skull. She

mewled and growled and scratched while John McGonagal hopped about,

flailinghisarmsandyellinginpain.EventuallyhedislodgedBiffafromhis

head,andshestoodinfrontofhim,backarched,hissingandspittinglikea

boilingkettle.

‘You’remental,youare!Weirdo!Abloodypsycho!’Johnyelledatmeas

hebackedawayupthelane.

‘Go on, then,’ I said, pointing at hisfriend whowas nowa safedistance

away. ‘Are you going to join him? Get lost, the lot of you. I do not like

rubbishlitteringmypath.’

Johnhelpedhisfriendtohisfeetandtheybothstaggeredoff.

‘Nicework,Biff,’ Imurmured, but she was notlistening.Shetook a few

pacestowardstheretreatingboysandtheyran.

Ifeltgood.ReallyIdid.ButIknewthatwouldnotbetheendofit.Notby

alongway.

‘Intherealworld,Alfie,yougottakill’em.Otherwisetheycomebackfor

more.’

Rafellivedintheseventeenthcentury.Itwasadifferentworldthen.

The police came the next day, a Monday, ‘investigating an assault on three

minors’.

Isay‘police’.Itwasapolicemanonabicycle,ayoungone.(Theuniform

had changed slightly, but he still reminded me of Jack in his WRC tunic

during the war.) Mam and I had sort of known the previous one, a portly,

incurious manwith the unlikelyname of PC Sargent, who accepted Mam’s

assurance that I was visiting from Hexham and had a growth disorder. He

simplywasnotinterestedsolongaswecausednotrouble,andwedidnot.

This one, PC Armitage, asked too many questions, and looked far too

interestedineverything.Wesatinthebackyard:me,Mamandhim.Amythe

goat(whohad replacedthepreviousAmy)bleatedandthe chickenspecked

around. The policeman looked uncomfortable: a townie. He even flinched

whenBiffabrushedagainsthisleg.Hetookhispointedhelmetofftoreveal

hisshiny,baldhead.Hewasonlyabouttwenty-five.

‘How old are you, son?’ He was writing everything down in a little

notebook.

‘What’syourdateofbirth?’

‘Wheredoyougotoschool?’

‘Howlonghaveyoubeenhere?’

‘Tellmewhathappenedyesterday.’

I told him the lies that I had practised. I was fourteen, I said. I had left

school.Backthen,youcouldleaveschoolatthatage.

‘You’realittleladforfourteen,aren’tyou?’hesaid.

Ishrugged.

‘Andthefight?Whathappened?’

Itoldhimthetruth.

‘So,itwasyouagainstthemthree,wasit?’

Inodded.IdidnotmentionBiffa.

Ithinkthemanevenlookedalittlebitimpressed.‘Youknowoneofthem

wenttohospital?Fracturedknee.’

Ishruggedagain.

Therewasnotagreatdealmorehecouldask,butIcouldtellhewasnot

satisfied. It was the way he kept looking round the yard, looking at me,

lookingatMam,asifsayingtohimself,‘There’smoretothisthanmeetsthe

eye.’

Trust me: I have lived long enough to recognise that look when I see it.

Mamhadseenittoo.Italwaysmeansthatmorequestionswillfollow.

Some official, somewhere, will decide that ‘something’s not quite right’

andstartfindingreasonstopry.Whenthathappens,wenormallyfindthatit

isusefultomoveawayforawhile.

Andso itwas. A weeklater, Mamwasquestioned by awomanfrom the

Local Education Authority while I hid upstairs. Then the policeman came

back with another officer, and someone from the local council’s social

servicesdepartment.

Whichwas why,six weekslater, if anyonehad come tocheckup onmy

age, or schooling, or anything else, they would have found the old cottage

securelylockedup,itswindowsboardedover,anditwouldremainlikethat

foralmostthirtyyears.

Thenwecameback,andthingswerefine.Honestlytheywere;theywere

reallyfine.Anewhousingestatehadbeenbuiltontheothersideofthewoods

towards the golf course. Whitley Bay was quieter in the summer, because

people started to go to Spain instead, but there were lots more people

generally, andthey all,it seemed, had a motor car,but still– noone really

botheredus,apartfromthelittlenosygirlandthatwasnotwhatyouwould

call‘bother’.

And then … the fire happened and I discovered, for the first time ever,

whatitwastobetotallyalone.

The boy from the secret house in the woods looked at us withhuge

eyes,paleandterrified.ThedeskthatIhadtippedoverlayonitsside

betweenus.

‘I … I’m sorry. I was greatly in need of somewhere to shelter,’ he

said.‘The…thefire.’Hestartedbreathingquickly,andblinkinghard,

asifjustsaying‘fire’hadabadeffectonhim.

I stood next to Roxy, looking down at this filthy, soot-streaked

creature, soaking wet and shivering. He knelt next to the overturned

desk, one arm clutching the other, staring up at us, eyes flicking left

and right, blinking repeatedly, his mouth moving with half-formed

wordsandasheenofsnotcoveringhisupperlip.Idon’tthinkI’dever

seenafiguresopitiable.

Roxyspokefirst.‘It’sOK.We’renotgonnahurtyou.’

The words hung in the air as he continued to stare. From time to

time,tinymoansescapedhislips.

‘Me … mam …me … mam…’he startedagain, pantingbetween

everysyllable.

Roxygotdownonherhunkerstobelevelwithhim,andIfollowed

suit. She reached out and touched him gently on the shoulder,

loweringherheadtolookathisface.

‘Al-vuh?’ she said and he gave a little gasp and a nod. My head

spunroundtolookatRoxy.‘Isthatyourname?Al-vuh?’

Henoddedagain.‘Me…myoldname.A.L.V.E.Iusually,erm…

Alfie.Alfieisgood.’

‘Come on, Alfie. Come and sit down.’ Roxy spoke with such

gentlenessandsuchcalm,nevertakinghereyesoffhis,watchinghis

everymovement.

Slowlyherosetohisfeet,stillclutchingonearmagainsthischest.

Hestumbledovertothevinyl-coveredsofaandloweredhimselfonto

it. Roxy sat next to him and turned her body to look at him while I

straightenedthedesk,andsatonthat.

‘Can I see yourarm?’Roxy asked,as she carefullylifted hishand

outoftheway.‘Doesithurt?’

Itlookedlikeitwasagony.Hisrightsleevewasripped,revealinga

burntforearm:deepredwelts fromthe elbowto thewrist, withsome

skinpeelingaway.RoxyandIbothsuckedairthroughourteeth.

‘Youneedadoctor,mate,’Isaid.Ihadn’tsaiditharshly,butitwas

thefirstthingI’dsaidtohim,anditwasthewrongthing.Heglaredat

me.

‘No.Definitelynot.Undernocircumstances.’

Igotwhathesaid.Itwasemphaticenough.Butthosewords:‘under

nocircumstances’.Itstruckmeasanunusualthingforakidtosay.He

lookedaboutourage.

‘But,Alfie,’saidRoxy(usinghisname:Clever,Ithought),‘it’sreally

badlyburnt.Itcouldget…Idon’tknow.Infected,orsomething.’

‘See? You do not really know, do you?’ There was an edge to his

voice,buthewasn’treallyaggressive.Justsureofhimself.‘Nodoctor.’

He sank a bitlower into the sofa and the wearylook returned to his

face.‘Just…leavemebe,yes?Iwillbefine.Nowordtoanyone.Iwill

befine.’

No, he wouldn’t. It was obvious that this was the ‘I will be fine’ of

someonewhowouldbeanythingbut.

‘What happened, Alve? Alfie? In the fire?’ I thought it would be a

goodideatogethimtalking,butafirmshakeoftheheadfromRoxy

putmerightonthat.

‘Listentome,Alfie,’shesaid.‘Thefirstthingyouneedtodoistoget

clean and warm. You’re shivering. We’ll clean this wound for a start.

Thenwe candressit. Itmay be OK.’ Shewaslooking atit carefully,

touchingtheedgeswiththetipsofherfingers.‘Doesithurtthere?’she

askedonce,andhewincedinreply.Sheturnedtome.‘Isyourdadin,

Aidan?’sheasked.

‘NO!’saidAlfie.Hisash-streakedfacefilledwithfear,andhiseyes

dartedtothedoorashemadeamovetogetup.

‘It’s OK, Alfie. Sit down. You can trust us. We won’t tell anyone

you’rehereifyoudon’twantusto.’Sheturnedtome.‘You’regonna

havetosneakinsomehow.StandnexttoAidan,Alfie.’Soauthoritative

was Roxy’s manner that he stood up next to me on her command.

‘Hmm. Have you any clothes that are too small for you, Aidan? You

know,stuffyou’vegrownoutof?’

‘No.Wegavethemallawaybeforethemove.’

‘Whataboutyoursister?’

Libby wasabout the same height asthis weird, filthyboy standing

betweenus.

‘I’llseewhatIcanfind.Itmightbepink,mind.’

If Alve – Alfie – minded, his face didn’t show it. His face hardly

showed anything, really. He settled back into the sofa next to Roxy,

andstartedtremblingagain,lipsflapping.Thiswasgoingtobetough.

Roxygottoherfeetandflickedhereyestothedoor.Ifollowedher

out.

Onceoutside,wepickedourwaythroughthemudforafewmetres.

‘Classicsigns,’saidRoxy.‘PTSD.’

‘What?’

‘Post-traumatic stress disorder. He’s seen his house burn down,

maybeseenhismumdieinthefire:it’salottoprocess,hencethe…

youknow.’

‘Oddbehaviour.’

‘Well,yeah.Heneedshelpbutheneedstotrustusfirst.He’llrunoff

givenhalfachance.’

‘And you know all this how?’ I said. It sounded snarky, but I was

properlyimpressed.

Sheshrugged.‘Ireadalot.Nowyougoandgetsomecleanclothes.

BringthemroundthefrontandI’llmeetyouatthedoor.Mymum’sin

herden,working.She’llhaveherheadphoneson,probably.’

‘Ihopeso.’Ihadn’tforgottenherfiercemumfromlastnight.

Roxygavemeawitheringlook.‘She’sfine,mymum.She’sjust…’

‘Scary?’

‘Angry.’

‘Angryandscary.’

‘Whatever. You’ll haveto helphimgetclean.Youknow,in andout

thebathandstuff.Dryhim.’

‘Me?’Imeanttosayitnormally,butitcameoutasasqueak.

Thewitheringlookreturned.‘Yes,you.Whatwithyoubeingaboy.I

don’tthinkhe’dbekeenonbeingbutt-nakedinfrontofme.’

IdecidedthereandthenthatifeverIwasinacrisisI’dwanteleven-

year-oldRoxyMintoincharge.

Which,consideringwhatwastocome,wasawisedecision.

Less than an hour later, we were back in the garage, and I had

discoveredseveralthings.

1. Dad’s patience was running low. I knew I’d been skiving the

household jobs. I tried sneaking in the back door and up to

Libby’s room without him hearing, but he was sorting out

paintbrushesdownstairsandcalledme.‘Wheretheheckhave

you been, sunshine?’ He only ever calls me ‘sunshine’ when

he’s annoyed. ‘I need some help: we have to get this place

sorted.’ I promised I’dhelp him later and scooted off. Pressed

for time, I hadn’t had a great deal of choice over clothes for

Alfie.

2. Roxy’s mum lived in the front room because she couldn’t get

upstairseasily. I’dhave toask Roxywhat waswrong withher

mumanothertime.(Isthatwhatyousay?‘What’swrong?’Oris

it something else, like, ‘What is the nature of her disability?’

Whoknows?Igottheimpressionthatitwouldn’ttakemuchto

sethermumoff.)

3. Alfie was a boy. That is, not an adolescent yet. (You can tell

thesethingswhensomeoneisnakedandbeinghelpedinand

outofthebath.)I’dguesshewasaboutmyage,soIaskedhim,

‘Howoldareyou,mate?’buthedidn’tanswer.Infacthedidn’t

sayasinglewordallthewaythroughthebath,whileIwashed

hishairandhekepthisarmoutofthewater.

4. His other arm has two small scars on the biceps, each about

fivecentimetreslong,likeanequalssign.Ididn’taskhimabout

it.

5.Hehasatattoo.Iknow!Elevenyearsoldandatattoo.It’sonhis

back between his shoulder blades. It’s a square cross, quite

blurred,andbig–withapatternonitthatwashardtomakeout.

ItlookedlikeonethatGrandadLinklaterhaddonewhenhewas

inthenavyyearsago–allsmudgedandfaded.

After he came out of the bath, I helped him to dry himself and get

dressed.I’dgivenhimapairofmyunderpants.Theyweretoobig,but

it was better than him wearing Libby’s knickers. Her jeans fitted him

OK,excepttheyhadsparklysequinsinalinedownthehemofeach

leg. He didn’t sayanything. The T-shirt was plain blackand what I’d

thought was a sweater turned out to be a cardigan in pale blue and

white,buthecouldn’tputitonyetbecauseofhisarm.ApairofLibby’s

stripedwellies completeda lookthat was– byanyone’sstandards –

completelybizarre.

IfAlfieminded,hedidn’tshowit.

Back in the garage, Roxy had acquired bandages, and the gauze

stuffthatgoesunderthem,somecreaminatube,cottonwoolanda

bowlofwater.Liketheworld’sgentlestnurse,shebathedAlfie’sburnt

arm,andsmoothedthecreamonit,pausingwhenhesuckedhislips

withthepain,thenwrappedthebandageround,nottootight,securing

itwithasafetypin.

Shehad broughtsome apples.Alfie atethree, oneafter theother:

core,pips,everything.

Whenitwasalldone,hewhispered,‘Thankyou,’andthen–outof

nowhere–hestartedcrying.Greatheavingsobsthatshookhisbody.

AllRoxyandIcoulddowassitnexttohim.

Roxyputherarmroundhimandsaid,‘Shhhh,’likeamotherwould,

andstrokedhishair.

On and on it went, like a summer storm that eases for a few

minutes,thencomesbackagain,evenmoreintense.Intheend,Roxy

wascryingtoo,andIthoughtforamomentitwasallgoingtosetme

offaswell.

Eventually, though, the sobbing stopped, and he flopped back,

exhausted,onthesofa.Hismouthdroppedopenandhisheadshook

slightlyfromsidetoside.Andthenthatstoppedandhewasquiet.

HiseyeswerestillclosedwhenIsaid,‘Doyouwanttocomeinside,

Alfie?Meetmydad?Wecanmakeupabedforyou.’

Heopenedhiseyesbutdidn’tmovehishead.Ihadsaidthewrong

thingagain.

‘IfyoutellanyonethatIamhere–anyone–you’llregretit.’

Then he closed his eyes. You would almost have thought he was

sleeping–exceptthatthetearskeptcoming,foralongtime.

‘Quickly,’ said Roxy when we were out of the garage. ‘What’s your

mobilenumber?’

Shegavemethiswide-eyedlookofdisbeliefwhenItoldherIdidn’t

havea phone.Honestly, ifI’d saidI had apet crocodileshe couldn’t

havelookedmorehorrified.Ididn’ttellheraboutourmoneyproblems,

about how my dad said we didn’t need another monthly bill in the

house.InsteadIgaveherourlandlinenumber.

‘I’llcallyou,’Isaid.‘It’llbebetterthatway.’

‘Andremember–notawordtoanyone.’

‘Areyousurethat’sright?Imean…’

‘You heard what he said. Let’s do what he asked, at least for the

moment.Otherwiseitmightmakehimworse.Idon’twanttotakethat

risk,doyou?’

Inodded,perhapsabitreluctantly,butitwasanodnonetheless.

I’llspareyouthetelling-offIgotfromDad.Lazy,selfishskivermore

orlesssumsitup.AuntyAliceandUncleJasperwereoutonJasper’s

boat,so it meant the restof theafternoon wasspent helpingDad to

paintLibby’sbedroomwallsmauve,unloadingthefinalboxes,moving

furniture around, wiping surfaces and vacuuming so that when Mum

got back at about seven from the call centre the place would be

shipshape, with a casserole in the oven and Dad in a good mood

again.

With all the unpacking,I had found a bag of my too-smalls,which

hadn’t made its way to the charity shop, and a woollen blanket I’d

never seen before that I figured wouldn’t be missed. I stashed them

undermybedforlater.

InfactDad’smoodwasgoodenoughthat–despitemypromiseto

Roxy–IdecidedtotellhimaboutAlfie.

I know. But think about it: Alfie was injured, distressed, homeless;

hismumhaddiedandasaresulthewasprobablynoteventhinking

straight.Toheckwithpromises:heneededhelpfromanadult.

I’d even worked out how I was going to say it, and probably even

takenthebreaththatwouldformthewords,whenIheardMum’skey

inthedoor.Itwouldhavetowaitfornow.

Except Dad’s good mood didn’t last. Mum hadn’t been back ten

minutesandalreadytheywerehissingateachother,andIdon’teven

know what kicked it off. I heard her say, ‘I can do without this, Ben,

aftertenhoursofbeingswornatbyidiots…’

AllIknewwasthatIdidn’twanttobearoundandtherewasnowayI

wouldraisethematterofAlfierightnow.

‘I’m just nipping next door,’ I said, sticking my head into the living

room,whereDadwasleaningagainstthemantelpiece,headbowed,a

pileofopenedmailinfrontofhim.

Bills:Icouldtellthatmuch.

I’mnotsuretheyevenheardme.

StandingonRoxy’sfrontstep,IwasabouttoringherdoorbellwhenI

heardsingingfrominside:ahigh,wobblyvoicebeltingoutaloudhymn

thatI recognised fromschool assembly, only itwas sungin a strong

WestIndianaccent.

‘Thinebethagloree,risenconquerin’son!

Endlessisthavict’rythouo’erdeat’haswon!’

Thentherewasacrash–somethingsmashing–anda‘NO!’followed

bywhatsoundedlikesomedialectswearingthatIdidn’tunderstand.I

didn’t know what to do, and I stood there, hesitating, my finger

hoveringoverthebell,whenthedooropenedsuddenlyandRoxywas

there,lookingupatme.

‘I saw you coming,’ she said, pointing to a tiny camera above the

door.

‘Sorry,Ijustheard…thatis,Imean…’

‘Oh,Mum?Yeah,shejustdroppedsomething.Itgetstoher.Come

onin.’Sheabout-turnedandtrottedbackthroughherhallway,calling,

‘Don’tworry,Mum,I’llclearitup.’

At the end of the hall, her mum put her head round the doorway.

She was supporting herselfon crutches, and she looked so different

fromthefirsttimeI’dseenher.Shewasn’ttall,butshewasheavyfor

her height, with bulges of fat under her clothes, and huge, dimpled

upperarms.HerhairwasshorterthanRoxy’s–acroppedAfrowitha

purplestreakinit,matchingherlarge,roundearrings.

Hereyes,though,wereexhausted.Somehowshemanagedtolook

likeeverypictureIhadeverseenofsomeonewhois‘bravelybattling’

a serious illness. She smiled, showing perfect teeth. It was a tired

smile and forced, as if the effort of lifting the corners of her mouth

drainedher.

ItwasthesameshapeasRoxy’s100-wattgrin,butwithnoneofthe

brilliance.

‘Hello,love.Youmus’beAidan.Roxy’stoldmeallaboutyou.’

‘Hasshe?Imean…erm,hello,Mrserm…’

‘Call me Precious, darlin’. Sorry, are you wantin’ to get past? It’s

thesedamncrutches…’ShepressedherselfagainstthewallasIwent

intotheirkitchen.

Iwonderedifshewouldsayanythingaboutheroddbehaviourlast

night.Tomyrelief,shesaidnothingmore.

Roxy was dumping the remains of a broken plate into the bin. I

watched Roxy’s mum as she moved awkwardly round the corner,

bangingthekitchendoorbehindherbyusinghercrutch.

‘Sheseems,’andIhesitatedfatally,‘nice.’

Pathetic,Aidan.

Roxy gave her little yap of laughter. ‘Ha! Nice? Good try, Aidan.

You’resuchabadliar!’

‘No,Ijustmeant…’

Roxysmiled,abitsadlyIthought.‘It’sOK.She’shardwork.Butshe

isnice.Underneathitall.’

‘What,erm…Imean,whatis…how…thenature…erm…’Roxy

letmesquirmforabitjust–Ithink–forherownamusement.Finally

shesaid:

‘Diabetes, mainly. Plus chronic fatigue syndrome, and probably

somethingelsethathasn’t beendiagnosedyet.Thedrugs shetakes

foronereactbadlywiththeinsulinandcausehertogainweightwhich

affects the diabetes and in turn causes mood swings, so she takes

anothermedicine, and thataffectsthe CFS.’ Sherattled thisoffas if

she had practised it, and then she paused before answering the

questionthatIwasforminginmymouth.‘No.Thereisnocure.Well,

notonethat’scertainorthatwecouldafford.Andshe’sfurious.’

‘Becausethere’snocure?’

‘Because there’s no cure, because she got it, because she can’t

move about, because some days she can’t get out of bed, because

she has to rely on me, because my dad left, because she can’t get

upstairs, because she has to use a wheelchair, just … everything,

really.’

Roxy had delivered this little speech leaning against the kitchen

counter with her arms folded in front of her. Despite her size, she

suddenly looked about forty years old, just for a couple of seconds,

andherperma-smilehaddisappeared.Igottoseeexactlywhatshe’d

looklikeasanadult,andthatwasstrange.

‘She’sgotquiteasingingvoice,’Isaid,andRoxysmiled.

‘Yeah.Ifshe’sinagoodmood,shesings.’

‘Andtheaccent?’Iasked.

Thesmilebecamewider.‘Shelearntallofthehymnsfrommygran,

whowasfromTrinidad.Thatwasthefirsttimeshe’ssunginages,and

thenshedroppedtheplate,so…’Sheshrugged.

‘Have you been to see him?’ I asked, jerking my head in the

directionofthegarage.Roxyshookherhead.

‘I had to help Mum. I’ve got some food ready.’ She indicated a

Tupperwareboxonthecounter.

‘Let’sgo,then.’

‘No, Aidan. I have to show you something first. I said I had proof,

remember?’Shesatatthekitchentableandopenedherlaptop.WhatI

sawinthenexttwentyminuteswastochangeallourlives.

’What,likeyouhaveanallergytogenies?Yourubalamp,outpopsa

genieandyougetarash?’

‘Soundslikeit,doesn’tit?’saidRoxy.‘ButthewordisGENEALOGY.

It’s tracing your ancestors, basically. Like when they do it on TV for

celebrities.’

I shrugged. I took her word for it. I was still thinking of a genie

allergy.

‘It’s what Mum does, now she can’t go out to work. She creates

people’sfamilytrees.Look.’

She opened a web page called ‘Ancestral Connections’ and there

was a picture of Precious Minto at a desk, looking friendly, and the

usualtabslabelledAboutUs,Pricing,Contactandsoon.

‘Nowlookatthis,’Roxysaid,clickingandtypingasshespoke.

Thewebpageshewasindicatingwasheadlined‘England:Register

ofBirthsandDeaths’.Therewasanothercalled‘BritishLandRegistry’

and a ‘Northumberland Directory’, and, as Roxy opened the pages,

andzoomedin,andclickedonlinks,andscrolledthroughchartsand

blogs,itwasasif,temporarily,shewasinalittleworldofherown.

She hadn’t said a word for about three minutes, and I was left

feelingabitawkward,likereadingoversomeone’sshoulderexceptthe

bookwasinaforeignlanguage.Thenshestopped,flickedhereyesto

the kitchen door and said, ‘By the way, my mum doesn’t know I’ve

copied all her programs and memberships. She’s not even properly

authorisedtoseesomeofthesites,soifsheasks…youknow.’

Inodded.

Eventuallyshesaid,‘Hangon,hangon…hereitis.’

The website was called ‘Photographic History’ and there was a

grainyblack-and-whitephotoofaladyandaboystandinginfrontofa

stonecottage.Herlongdressreachedtheground,andtherewasan

apronoverit.Theboyworelongtrousersandacollarlessshirt.

‘That’sit,’saidRoxy.‘That’sthehousethatburntdown.Lookatthe

caption.’

Sure enough, the caption read Oak House, Near Whitley,

Northumberland,around1870.

Inodded.‘So?’

‘So?Solookatthepeopleinthepicture.’

‘It’stooblurry,Roxy.Youcan’tseeanythingapartfrom,well…’

‘They’rewearingsunglasses?’

That was unusual, I have to admit. I couldn’t recall ever seeing

picturesofVictorianpeoplewearingsunglasses.

‘WeresunglassesaVictorianthing?’

‘Exactly!No,theyweren’t!’

‘Theydidn’texist?’

‘Well, they weren’t popular until the 1920s. They did exist. I’ve

lookeditup.Peopleworethemforeyeinjuriesandstuff.’

Ilookedagainatthephoto.‘Sorry,Roxy.Whatareyougettingat?’

‘Can’tyousee?’Hervoicewasrisingwithexasperation.‘It’sthem!’

She expanded the web page as large as it would go, but it didn’t

really help: the details were still too indistinct. I didn’t want to upset

RoxysoIsaid,‘Hmm.Isupposetheydolookabitalike.’

‘Abit?Exactly,morelike.’Shehitsomemorekeysandbroughtupa

site called ‘UK Census Online’. ‘See, the census is a record of

everyone who lived in Britain in 1861.’ Some of the pages were in

normalprint;otherswere scansof olddocumentswithentriesin old-

fashioned,curlyhandwriting.

‘Wow!’Isaid,impressed.‘Everyone?’

‘Yes, everyone! And if we go … here,’ she clicked on the tracker

pad,‘you’llseethatlivingatOakHouse,Northumberlandin1861was

…’

Monk,Hilda–widow–age33–

occupation,seamstress–spouse,unknown

Monk,Alfred–child,male–age11

Roxy’s enthusiasm was written all over her face, as her fingers

skippedacrossthekeys.Ifeltguiltyfornotbeingmoreexcited.

‘Andhere,’shewassaying,‘isthecensusfor1911:fiftyyearslater.’I

peeredatthescreen.

Monk,HildaS.–widow–age34–

occupation,dressmaker–spouse,deceased

Monk,Alfred–child(M)–age11

‘It’salmostthesame,’Iremarked.‘Butwhoarethesepeople?Imean,

Alfred,Alfie–it’saprettycommonname,especiallybackthen.’

‘Itgetsbetter.LookattheOfficeforNationalStatisticssite.Ithasthe

mostrecentcensus:onlysevenyearsago.’

Monk,HildaS.–widow–age33–

occupation,costumier–spouse,unknown

Monk,Alfred–child(M)–age11

‘Whataboutfurtherback?Whenwasthefirstcensus?’Iasked.

Herfingerswereablurnow,andshedidn’tanswermeforages.

‘Roxy?’

‘The first census … hang on … the first census was in 1801, and

there’snomentionofOakHouse,butlookhere.’

She had brought up another website. ‘This one is searchable by

nameaswell,andthegoodthingistheirnameisnotallthatcommon.’

Shetypedin‘Monk’andalistofentriesscrolleddownonthescreen,

but,beforeIcouldscanit,Roxywastypingagain.‘They’renotthere.

ButlookwhathappensifIspellthenameslightlydifferently.’

She typed in ‘Munk’, and half a page of results appeared. Roxy

pointedatone.

Munk,MrsHSwidow,Hexham,N’th’berland

Munk,Mstr.A(11),Hexham,N’th’berland

‘Don’tyousee?Monkwithan“o”,Munkwitha“u”,Hilda,Alfred?It’s

thesamepeople!’

Itwas hardnot tobecaught upin Roxy’senthusiasm,so Iplayed

along.

‘So this proves, you reckon, that until last night they’d been living

there–atanyrateonandoff–sincethe1860s,sothatmakesher,at

least,awitch?’Itwashardtokeepthedoubtoutofmyvoice.

Roxy’s eyes shone with wonder and she grinned. ‘Don’t you think

that’sunbelievable?’

Thatwasdefinitelytheword.Ididn’tbelieveanyofit.

‘Comeon,’Isaid,gettingup.‘There’sawaywecantestyourtheory.

Wecanjustaskhim.’

Aswemadeourwaydownherbackgarden,Iwasstillcuriousabout

thisgenealogything.

‘So…peoplepaymoneytofindoutwhotheirancestorswere?’

‘Yep.That’saboutit.’

‘Why?’

‘Why?Don’tyouwanttoknowwhoyoursare?’

I thought about it for several seconds. ‘Not really. What difference

doesitmake?’

‘Would you be surprised to find out you were a descendant of

Charlemagne?’

WehadjustdonetheHolyRomanEmpireinschool.Charlemagne’s

an emperor who ruled Europe in the ninth century. ‘I guess so. How

wouldyouknow?’

‘Becausejustabouteveryoneis!EverywhiteEuropean,atanyrate,

apartfromrecentimmigrants.’

‘But…buthow?’

‘I’lltellyoulater.Shh!’

Ishushed.Wewerejusttheothersideofthefence,andIheardthe

door of Roxy’s garage bang shut and footsteps heading into the

woods.

‘Comeon,’whisperedRoxy.‘Let’sfollowhim.’

Wesmeltitbeforewegotthere.Burntwood,burntleaves,allofitwet.

By thetime we were insight of the ruinedcottage, Roxy andI were

soakedthroughfromthestill-drippingtrees.

It was twilight. Between the branches of the trees the sky was a

milkyroyalbluewithoneortwoearly-eveningstars,butnomoonyet.

Down byour feet it wasblack-dark. Here and there,huge chunks of

theforestwereburntaway,allowinginmorelight,buteverythingwas

bleakandblack,sorrowfulandsilent.Roxyusedthelightonherphone

toshowthepath,butitmadeeverythingnotinitsbeamevenblacker

incontrast.

Plastic tape saying POLICE LINE DO NOT ENTER was stretched

roundsectionsoftheburnt-outforest.IhesitatedbutRoxydidn’t;we

duckedunderitandwentinanyway.

Thenweheardhim.

‘Biff-a!Biff-a!Komm,komm,Biff-a!’

‘Whattheheck’sthatabout?’IwhisperedtoRoxybutsheshrugged.

We approached as quietly as we could, trying not to snap twigs

underourfeet.Ithinkwebothsawhimatthesametime,sittingonthe

circular stone fireplace and staring at the charred ruins of his home,

thedusklightmakinghisblondhairlookwhite.

‘Biii-fa!Biii-fa!’

Have you ever seen a burnt-out house? It’s pretty scary. This one

stillhadthebasicoutlineofahouse:mostoftheblackenedwallswere

still standing, and part of the upstairs, although the upper part was

mostlydestroyed,thefloorboardshangingdownintothelowerrooms.

Some things, oddly, seemed untouched. Although black with soot,

the big kitchen table stood solidly, bearing the weight of some metal

boxes.Astonekitchensinkseemedundamaged.Inonesmallroom,a

wallofbookshelvesheldsomecharredbooks,andloosepagesdrifted

onthe floor in the breeze,while, above,the beamsof theroof stuck

intotheskylikeagrimhouse-skeleton.

Otherthanthat,though,thedestructionwasmoreorlesstotal.

‘Iknowyouare there,’Alfiesaid,andRoxyand Iboth gasped.He

had not turned round. We said nothing, but stood up from our

crouchedposition.

‘Youwouldmakepoorspies,’hesaid,asweapproachedhimbythe

stonefireplace.‘Iheardyoulongago.’

‘We…wedidn’tmeantospyonyou…’Roxybegan,buthecuther

off.

‘Itisallright.Idonotmind.Youarecurious.Itisnotsurprising.’His

tone was flat. He had not met our eyes, but remained stony-faced,

staringaheadattheruinsofhishome.

‘I’m sorry, Alfie,’ I said. ‘About what happened. And … and your

mum,an’that.’

‘Metoo,’saidRoxy.

Somethingchangedthen.Istilldon’tknowifitwaswhatwesaid,or

themomentwesaidit,orneither,orboth,butIcanlookbacknowand

knowthatthatwasthemomentouradventurestarted.

ItwasasifAlfiewasmakinganefforttodraghiseyesawayfromthe

blackstumps.Hetookadeepbreathandlookedstraightatus.

‘Thankyou.’

Itwasaconnection,abondformedbetweenus.

‘Ifthere’sanythingwecando,youknow…tohelp,or,youknow…’

Itrailedoff.IhadnoideawhatIwassaying,really:itwasjustthesort

ofthingIhadheardgrown-upssaytoeachother.

‘Doyoumeanthat?’heasked.

Well,whatcould I say?‘No,notreally,Iwasjust beinginsincere’?

It’s not that I didn’t want to help,it was just that I couldn’t think of a

singlethingIcoulddothatwouldbeanygoodinthissituation.

SoIsaid,‘Absolutely,’andnoddedfirmly.

Roxyadded,‘Yup!’andgaveabiggernod.

Alfienoddedbackandsaidsimply,‘Good.Theremaybesomething

I need help with.’ He got down wearily from the stone fireplace and

startedtowalktowardstheshellofthehouse,thenheturnedbackto

us.

‘IneedtoknowIcantrustyou.’

‘Youcantrustus,Alfie,’saidRoxy.

Iwantedtoadd,‘Itkindofdependswhatyouwantustodo,’butthe

wordsdriedinmythroat,soIjustsaid,‘Yep.’

Alfiesteppedoversomecharredwoodenbeamsthathadfallentothe

floor.

‘Erm … Alfie? I’m not sure that’s safe in there, mate. I mean …’ I

said, but he stopped me with a look that said, This is my house not

yours.

We followed him into the burnt ruin, picking our feet through the

ashesontheground,andkeepingawaryeyeonthebeamsaboveus.

Alfiestoppedbythebookcases.Closeup,thedamagewasevenmore

obvious.Literallyhundredsofbookshadbeendestroyed;nothingwas

undamaged.Anypagesthatwerenotburnttonothingwerecoveredin

afilmofgreasysoot.

From what I could see, these were all old books, with hard, plain

covers – not like the ones with illustrations and bright jackets that I

had.I picked oneup thatseemed less damagedand flickedit open,

peeringatthepageinthedimlight.Icouldn’treadaword.

‘What’sthis?’Iasked.

Alfie came closer and glanced at it. ‘That’s Confessions by

AugustineofHippo.’

‘Who’sChristinetheHippo?’

‘OfHippo.Itisaplace,orwas,anyway.InNorthAfrica.Augustineis

Saint Augustine, you know?’ His tone suggested that he really

expectedmetoknowwhoSaintAugustinewas.

‘Neverheardofher.Whatlanguageisit?’

Alfiesquintedatme,andsaidinaquizzicaltone,‘Itisa‘he’nota

‘she’, and the language is Latin.’ He didn’t need to add ‘obviously’,

becauseitwasinhisvoice.

‘What’sitabout?’

Alfie took it from me with his good hand, and fingered the sooty

pages sadly. ‘It is probably the world’s first autobiography. It is a bit

heavy-going in places, by modern standards, but rather compelling

nonetheless.’

Rather compelling nonetheless. Who speaks like that? I said to

myself.OutloudIsaid,‘You’vereadit?’

Alfienodded.

‘InLatin?’Isqueaked.Henoddedagain,abitshyly.

Roxywasnexttousbynow.‘Hey!MrBrainbox!Goon:readsome

out!’

Reluctantly,Ithought,AlfiebeganreadingaloudasRoxyshonethe

lightfromherphoneonthepage.Ididn’tunderstandawordbutRoxy

waswide-eyed.

‘Wow!’wasallshesaidwhenhefalteredtoastop.‘Dosomemore!’

ButAlfieplacedthebookbackontheshelf.

‘Thesewereallmine,’hesaid.‘MineandMam’s.’

I left him alone for a moment while I checked out the yard. The

chickencoopinthecornerwasdestroyed,andseveralburntchickens

withblackenedfeatherslayamongtheashes.

‘Ithinkyourgoatescaped,’IcalledtoAlfie,buthedidn’treplyandI

immediately hoped he hadn’t heard. It sounded as though I was

saying, ‘Ah, well, look on the bright side,’ when there really wasn’t

muchofabrightsideatall.

Roxyhadwanderedofftothecorneroftheroomwewerein.‘What’s

inhere?’she said,kicking charredbits ofwood offthe topof athick

metaltrunk.

AlfiesaidsomethingIdidn’tunderstandunderhisbreath,andknelt

down nextto the trunk.There was ahinged metal closure on the lid

withholesforapadlock,butnolock.Heopenedthelid.

‘Hmm.Morebooks!’saidRoxy.‘TheylookOK–Imean,unburnt.’

Alfieclosedthelidagain,andstoodup,facingus.Forthefirsttime,I

could detect slightly less sad emptiness on his face. There was

somethinginhiseyesthatmighthavebeenhope.

‘Wehavetotakethese.Takethemawayfromhere.’

I lifted one end of the trunk by the handle. It was heavy. ‘You’re

kidding,Alfie.Ican’tcarrythis.It’sfartooheavy.Besides,thepoliceor

firebrigadeorsomebodywilllookafterit.They’lltakeeverythingaway

andkeepitsafe.’

Alfieshookhisheaddefiantly.

‘No.Wetakeitnow.’

‘Alfie,listen…’

‘Wetakeitnow!’

Therewasnoarguingwith him.So, stepafter step,we luggedthe

trunk through the shadowy woods. I kept changing my carrying arm;

Alfiecouldnotandso wepaused often forrests. Roxytried tomake

herselfusefulbyshiningherphoneonthegroundandwarningusof

holesandrootsthatwouldtripusup.

Thethinmetalhandlesdugintomypalms,andtheweightpulledat

my shoulders, but eventually we saw the flickering pink of the neon

garagesign.Wedraggedthetrunkinside,andslumpeddownonthe

chairs.Ilookedround:weweresootandsweat-streaked.SomehowI

wasgoingtohavetocleanupbeforeIgotbackintobed.

‘So–areyou going toshow uswhat’sinside?’ Iasked, flexingmy

aching arms. Alfie lifted the lid to reveal a stack of books, fifteen or

twentyofthem.TheywerethickvolumeswithstiffleathercoversandI

wenttopickoneup.

‘Careful!’warnedAlfie.‘Please.’

Iwipedmyhandsonmyshirtandliftedoneout,turningittoreadthe

goldletteringonthespine.

‘BarnabyRudge,’Ireadout.IlookedatAlfiequizzically.

‘Not one of his better-known titles. Try this one.’ He handed me

anotherbook.

‘GreatExpectations.Ohyeah!ThatwasaTVseries.Mumwatched

it!Sotheseareallbywhatsisname…’

‘CharlesDickens,’saidRoxy.‘HewroteOliverTwistaswell.’

Alfiesmiled.‘Youhavereadit?’

Roxy shrugged. ‘Sort of. Here it is.’ She flipped open the cover.

Therewasahandwritteninscriptionwhichshereadout.‘ToDearAlve,

withmyCompliments,CharlesDickens.’Shegavea lowwhistle. ‘So

this is a full set of Charles Dickens’s books? Are they all signed by

him? But who’s this Alve? It can’t be you?’ She peered sideways

through narrowed eyes. There was a long pause and then she

drawled,‘Canit?’

Alfiecoughed.‘Ah…anoldrelative.Anditisnotquitethefullset.

Onewasstolen,orsomehowwent…Idonotknow.Sufficetosay,A

TaleofTwoCitiesismissing.’

‘Whatashame.Still–I’llbettheseareworthabit!’

Alfie nodded. ‘Yes. But I estimate their value is probably halved

becauseofthemissingvolume.Anyhow,mayI…’Hegentlyretrieved

thebookswewereholdingandreplacedtheminthetrunk,closingthe

lid.‘MayIleavethemhere?Forthetimebeing?’

‘Surething,’saidRoxy.Togetherweluggedthetrunkundertheburst

sofa.

‘Alfie,’Isaid.‘Whatareyougoingtodonow?Whereareyougoing

togo?’

Hesaidnothing,andRoxyflashedmealookofwarning.Shetrieda

gentlerapproach.

‘Yourmum,Alfie?Isthereanyoneelsewho,youknow,youcantalk

to?’

‘Therewasjustus.AndBiffa.’Hisblankexpressionreturned.Itwas

asiftheexpeditiontotheburnthouse,andtherescueofthetrunkof

bookshad distractedhim from hismisery fora while,but nowit had

returned.Hewenttothedoorwayandmadeakissingsoundwithhis

mouth again and called, ‘Hey, Biffa! Hey, Biffa!’ He saw us looking.

‘Sheisacat.’

‘You will have to speak to the police, you know,’ I said. ‘You can’t

hidehereforever.’

Hefixedmewithhisice-blueeyes.‘No.Notyet.Thereissomething

Imustdo.’

‘What?’

Heshookhisheadasiftodismissthequestionlikeanannoyingfly.

‘Ineedtostayhere.Youpromisedmeyouwouldhelpme.’

‘Well,yes,but…’

‘Didyounotmeanwhatyousaid?’

‘Well,yes,but…’

‘ThenIstayhere,andyousaynothingtoanybody.’

IlookedacrossatRoxy,whoshrugged.

‘Butyourmum,Alfie…’Ibegan.

His nostrils flared with anger. ‘My mother. Is. Dead. You cannot

change that. What difference does it make to you? You just thought

she was some weird woman living in the woods. That weird woman

wasmymother,deadbecauseofme!’

‘Becauseofyou?How…?’

‘ICAUSEDTHEFIRE!’heshouted.‘Ishallbeluckynottogotojail!’

‘Alfie, eleven-year-olds don’t go to jail,’ I said, trying to calm him

down,butithadnoeffect.

‘WhosaysIameleven?’

‘I’mjustguessingyou’reaboutmyage,Alfie.Look…’

‘NO!Youlook.Andyou,’headded,turningtoRoxy,whoflinched.‘I

needtostayhereforawhile.Youneedtohelpme.And,onceIhave

donewhatIneedtodo,itwillallbefine,Ipromise.Promise.Please,I

ambeseechingyou,tellnooneaboutme.’

Therewasa longsilence–I meanalong one.All threeofus just

lookedatoneanother,shiftingourgazestoeachother’seyes.Iwas

goingtobreakit,butRoxyspokefirst.Icouldtellshewassuspicious,

onsomelevel.Becauseofthewitchstuff,Isuppose.

‘OK.Butyoudon’tinvolve us.Wecouldgetinto trouble. Ifanyone

asks,youfoundthisplaceonyourown.’

‘Allright.ButIdoneedsomefood.’

‘OK.’

‘Andwater.’

‘OK.’

Isaid,‘Sothatisinvolvingus.Quitealot.’

Alfie gave a small shrug. ‘You said you would help me. And

blankets. And a fresh dressing for my arm. And some paracetamol.

Andatinofcrabmeat.’Hepaused,realisingthatithadbecomealong

listofdemands.‘Ifthatisallright?’

‘Crabmeat?’

‘Itismycat’sfavourite.Shemightsmellitandcomeback.Possibly.’

Isighed,alreadybeginningtoregretthatemptyofferofhelp.

Icausedthefire.Idid.Notdeliberatelybutitwasmyfault.

NowIhavetofacetheconsequences.

Peopleinthetwenty-firstcenturysaysomestrangethings:‘Ishallhaveto

learntolivewithmyself,’or,‘Ishallhavetoforgivemyself.’

Itisalltommyrot,which,cometothinkofit,issomethingIthinkyoudo

notsayanymore.

Ihavenochoicebuttolivewithmyself.AndIcannotforgivemyself.Iam

notevensureitispossible.

Howdidthefirestart?

Itwillhavebeenthenewwood.New,unseasonedwood–whichthrowsoff

sparks.IhadwatchedRoxyMintowalkupthelane,withherbandagedhead;

Ihadtriedtowavegoodbyetoher,hopingshewouldcomeback.

Ihadbeentoolazytogodowntothewoodshedandfetchtheproperaged

logsandIusedthenewonesthathadjustbeencut.

So.

Myfault.

It waslate when I gotback. Mum and AuntyAlice were in bed,Dad

wasfurious.He’salwaysangrierafterheandMumhaverowed.

‘Worried sick … irresponsible … selfish … how do you think your

motherfeels…?’

Itwasalltheusualstuff.Andthenhestoppedandlookedmeupand

down.

‘You’re filthy,’ he said. ‘Again! What on earth is wrong with you?

Wherehaveyoubeen?’

I lied, and said I’d been playing football with Spatch. Dad wasn’t

goingtocheck. Butthewholeepisode madeiteven less likelythatI

wasgoingtotellhimaboutAlfie.Iputonmyverybestsorrowfullook.

‘I’msorry,Dad.Ilosttrackoftime.Iwon’tdoitagain.’

Justthen,Jaspercame infrom thelivingroom.‘Ah!The wanderer

returns!’ he said. ‘Told you he’d be shipshape, didn’t I, Ben? Been

having fun, have you?’ Histop lip drewback to thegum lineand he

grinned. When Jasper smiles, he always looks as though he had to

readtheinstructionsonhowtodoit.It’schilling.

By trying to be jovial, Jasper had completely undermined Dad’s

telling-off.Ishould havebeenpleased but Iwasn’t.I glancedatDad

andfeltalmostsorryforhim.HewasglaringpurefuryatJasper,who

justdidnotnotice.

‘Don’t forget,’ Jasper was saying as he rubbed his bony hands

together.‘Earlystartforusjollyjacktarstomorrow!’

Ohcrikey!I’dforgottenthat.JasperwastakingDadandmeouton

theJollyRogertomorrow.I caught Dad’seye.He was dreadingitas

muchasIwas.

‘Can’twait,Jasper,’ Isaid,thenIyawned theatrically.Thesooner I

gottobed,thesoonertheymight,andthesoonerIcouldgetbackto

AlfiewiththestuffI’dpromisedhim.

UpstairsIturnedonmybedsideradio.

‘…onRadioNorthandhereisthenews.NorthumbriaPolicesaytheyarelookingforaboyin

connectionwith lastnight’shousefire inwoodlandnear WhitleyBaythat claimedthelifeof

onewoman,namedearlierasMrsHildaMonk.

Sheisbelievedtohavelivedwithhereleven-year-oldson,Alfred,whoismissingfromthe

house.DetectiveInspectorMaxineFordissuedthisappeallastnight.

“Alfred,wewantyoutocomeforwardandletusknowyou’resafe.Youarenotunderany

suspicionorinanytrouble.Whereveryouare,justgointoanypolicestation,orapproacha

policeofficerinthestreetandtellthemwhoyouare.Andthatgoesforanyonewhomayknow

hiswhereabouts.Weareveryconcernedforthisboy’ssafety.”

Therearefearsthattheboymaybeinjured,orsufferingpsychologicallyfromthefire,which

totallydestroyedhishome,andatonepointthreatenedtogetoutofcontrol.

Policeareconductinghouse-to-houseenquiriestofindoutifaneighbourisshelteringhim.

Inothernews,thePrimeMinisterhassaid…’

Iturnedofftheradioandstaredattheceiling,feelingsickwithworry.

OK, stop a second and put yourself in my shoes just for a moment,

becauseifyoudon’tyou’llendupthinkingI’meithercrazy,orstupid,or

both.

–There’sakidofaboutmyagelivinginanoldworkmen’sshed

overmybackfence,andtheonlyotherpersonthatknowsthis

isRoxyMinto,agirlIhavemoreorlessjustmet.

–  The kid has just seen his house burn to ashes and lost his

motherin thefire andis –accordingto Roxywho soundslike

she knows what she’s talking about – suffering from PT-

something-or-other,whichisafragilementalstate.

–  He has a badly burnt arm that should probably have hospital

treatment,whichheabsolutelyrefuses.

–Hespeaksweirdly,withastrangeaccentthatIcan’tidentify.

–Hehasjustbeggedme(backedupwithvaguethreats)tokeep

allofthissecret.

AndIhaveagreed.

‘Please,Iambeseechingyou,’iswhathesaid.

Howmuch longercould I keepthe secret?Wasiteven righttodo

so?Thepoliceweresearchingforhim,sowouldIgetintotroubleifI

saidnothing?

Allof this,andabouta trillionotherthings, were goingthroughmy

head asI snuck aboutthe house atmidnight, findingstufffor Alfie. I

had unpacked a bunch of camping gear a couple of days ago, so I

easilyfounda sleepingbagin thecupboardon thelanding.Ifigured

hemightlikeanairbedaswell,soIwasholdingthesetwoitemsand

headingdownstairswhenthedoortowhatwouldbemyroomopened

andJaspercameoutinhispyjamasandstoodinthedimlight.

‘Allright,son,’hehalfwhisperedblearily.‘Justheadingtothekhazi.

Oldman’sbladder.’

Thanksfortheinformation,Ithought,hopinghe’djustwalkpastme

andignorethefactthatIwastwostepsdownthestairswithasleeping

bagandanairbed.

Fatchance.

‘Whattheblazesareyoudoingwiththatlot?’hesaid,scratchinghis

beard.

Quick,Aidan.Thinkonyourfeet.

‘Ah…Iwashavingtroublesleeping,and…andIthought,erm…

I’d try sleeping downstairs. New house. Not used to it.’ More

unconvincinglies.

Hesaidnothing,butlookedmeupanddownbeforeshufflingoffto

thebathroom.

Hehadn’tbelievedme.I hadmyhoodieonovermy pyjamas,and

outdoorshoes.

Notknowingwasagony.Whyhadn’thesaidanythingmore?Washe

halfasleep?Didhenotcare?Idecideditwasthelastone:he’dnever

shown much interest in me, so why start now? That’s what I told

myself,anyhow,as Iquickly scooteddownthe backgarden, through

thegapinthefenceandhandedthestufftoagratefulAlfie.I’deven

foundatinoftuna,whichIthoughtwasagoodsubstituteforcrab.

Roxyhadalreadydeliveredsomefood,andpromisedtobringsome

freshdressingsinthemorning,soitwasjustAlfieandme.

He looked at me with his pale, red-rimmed eyes. ‘Thank you,’ he

said,‘verysincerely.’Thenheadded,‘Pal.’

Justthat.‘Pal.’Itwasasifhe’dneversaiditbefore.Hedidn’ttoss

offthewordcasuallylikepeoplenormallydo–youknow,‘Heythere,

pal!’–althougharoundhereyoudidn’thearitsomuch.Itwaslikehe’d

pickeditupandwaspractisingitforthefirsttime,enunciatingitclearly

ashedidwithlotsofwords.

Thenhesmiled,anddespitehisshockingteeththerewasawarmth

thatIfeltalltheway throughme. Then thesmile slowly faded,to be

replacedbyaseriousstare,andhesaid,‘Iamrelyingonyou.’

Iturnedtogo.‘Aidan,’hesaidsoftly.

‘Yes?’

‘ThereissomethingIneedtotellyou.Butyoumaynotbelieveme.’

So now there’s another thing to add to the list of things that will

makeyouthinkI’mstupid,crazy,orboth.

Hereckonshe’sathousandyearsold.

Ifeelasthoughthereisaspaceinsideme.Yetthespace,althoughitisinside

ofme,isactuallybiggerthanme.

Itcouldswallowmeup.IfIlookdownintothespace,Icouldtoppleover

andfalldown,downintothespacethatisnotevenblack.

Ithasnocolour.Nosound.Nosmell.Itisjustnothing.

IsatinthehutthatRoxyMintocallshergarageandstaredatthewalls,the

ceiling,the floor. Now that she hadturned offthe pinksign outside,it was

shady,andmyeyesrested.Withoutmydarkglasses,everythingoutsideistoo

bright.(MamandIbothhave–had–high‘photosensitivity’;brightsunlight

isalmostpainful.Forbothofus,itstartedimmediatelyafterwehadmixed

thelife-pearl’sunguentwithourblood.Itmustbewhatisnowcalleda‘side

effect’.)

All around me lingered the smell of the fire. I had bathed and changed

clothes, butmy old, smoke-reeking garments lay in aheap in the corner. It

wasasifthesmellhadenteredmyskin,mynose.Theboywhoisfriendswith

Roxy–Aidan–iskind.Hehelpedmeinthebath.Hesaidnothingaboutmy

scarsortattoo,althoughhemusthavewantedtoask.

And,ifhehad,whatwouldIhavetoldhim?

‘Thisis atattoothat Iacquired some fivehundred yearsago,so itis not

surprisingthatithasfadedoverthecenturies.’

PerhapsIshouldhavedone.Tellthetruth,that is; Mam, however,would

nothaveapproved.Therewasaplanforwhattodoifeitherofusdiedbutit

didnotinvolvetellingeveryonethetruth.

Mam.

Everything comes back to her. Every thought, every action brings her to

mind.IhavealreadylostcountofthenumberoftimesIhavestartedtosay

somethingtoher,orlookedroundtoseeifsheisnear,orwantedtofeelher

strongarmsroundme.

Mam would stroke my back and sing the song of the old times, in the

tonguewealoneshared.

Andthere,inthegrimyhut,ontherippedsofa,Ihuggedmyselfinsteadand

triedto imagine itwasMam.I sangthesong that Mamsang,the sadnotes

catchinginmythroat,butsomehowmakingmefeelbetter.

WhenAidancameback,itwasabout1amtojudgefromthemoon.Ihad

been dozing, but could not sleep for fear that the empty space inside me

wouldswallowmeasIslept.

He hadbrought a long,padded bag for me to sleep in. He asked me if I

wereallright.OKwasthewordheused.‘AreyouOK,Alfie?’

‘Thankyou,’Isaid.‘IamOK.’Itfeltunusual.ItisnotawordIhaveused

muchbefore.

Hesatwithmeawhile,notsayinganything,andthatwasallright.Nice,

even.Thenhesaid,‘Howisyourarm?’

‘Fine,’Isaidbutitwasnot.Itwasverysore,inspiteofthepainkillersIhad

taken.

Then,whenhegotuptoleave,itjustcameout.

‘Aidan,’Isaid,‘thereissomethingIneedtotellyou…’

‘OK,’hesaid,‘shoot.’

‘Ibegyourpardon?’

‘Shoot.Goahead.’

Itookadeepbreathandclosedmyeyes.IthoughtofMamandourplan.

ThenIjustsaidit.

‘Iamathousandyearsold.More,actually.Sowasmymam.’

‘Saythatagain?’hesaid,soIdid.

Iexpectedhimtoaccusemeoflying,oratleasttolaughatme.Buthedid

not. Instead he looked at me carefully and said, ‘How long have you lived

there,inthewoods?’

‘Onandoffforaboutahundredandfiftyyears.’

‘Andbeforethat?’

‘We lived near Hexham, on a little farmstead. We did a bit of sewing,

makingclothes,repairingthings.And,beforethat,inWalesforatime,and—’

‘Sewing?’heinterrupted.‘Yourmumwasa“costumier”?’

‘Thatisalittlegrandbutyes,sometimesthatiswhatMamwouldsay.’

Aidan’sbrowhadcreasedashepeeredatme.Hehadsatbackdownonthe

deskandwasthinkinghard,Icouldtell.

‘And … were you ever photographed, Alfie? Both of you? Outside the

cottage?’

‘Why,yeswewere.HowcouldIforget?Itwasthefirsttimeeitherofus

hadseenacamerabefore.AmanfromtheShieldsGazettecameandwestood

bythefrontdoor,and…waitaminute.Whydidyouaskmethat?’

Wetalkeduntilthe sky began to get light.ItoldhimaboutDaand Mam

and Biffa and the livperler. The life-pearls. I felt a little less empty. I even

thinkhemayhavebelievedme.

ItoldhimaboutmeandMam’splan.Ibegantothinkitwouldwork,andit

mighthavedonehaditnotbeenforwhathappenednext.

And,whenhefinallyleft,Islept,anddidnotdream.

TheverylastthingIwantedtodo–onehourafterfinallygettinginto

bed at sunrise, and not sleeping a wink because of what I had just

learnt–wastobe‘woken’(althoughIwasalreadywideawake)togo

outonJasper’sboat.

WhileDadandIwereoutontheboatwithJasper,MumandAunty

AliceweregoingtopickupLibbyfromBrowniecamp.

Now, ever since I overheard Mum and Dad in the car on the way

backfromAuntyAlice’sweddingtwoyearsago,I’veknownthatthey

don’treallylikeJasper.Buttheydon’tknowthatIknow.

(Adultsdothisthing–youmusthavenoticed–wheretheykindof

pretendthatthey’reallgoodfriendsandeverybodyisnice,especially

family.Isupposeit’sto‘setanexample’touskids:youknow,loveand

trust,don’tmakejudgements,theadultworldisalllovely,blah-di-blah.

Exceptweknowwhenthey’redoingit.)

In this case,it’s probablyso they don’t upset AuntyAlice because

she likes Jasper. Loves him, even. And so when Jasper had said to

me,‘Youcomin’outonmeshiptomorrow,youngfellow-me-lad?’Ihad

glancedoveratDad.

ThewayJaspersaiditwasmorelikeastatementthanaquestion,

andDadhadreplied,‘Thanks,Jasper,we’dloveto.’

We.

Iwasrelieved.Idon’tknowwhatDadimaginedwouldhappentome

–maybehethoughtJasperwouldsailintoastorm,ormakemewalk

theplank.Idon’tknow.ButIdoknowIwaspleasedthatIwasn’tgoing

alone.

Some people have a fear of flying. I daresay some people are

scaredincars.Mumwon’tevergoonamotorbike.

Me?It’sboats.IoncetriedtotellthistoJasper,whoscoffedandtold

meIhadto‘manup’andDadevenagreedwithhim,sayingIcan’tgo

throughlifebeingscaredofboats.Adults,eh?Youjustcan’ttell.

To be honest, it’s not the boat. It’s the seasickness. I throw up

wheneverI’monaboat.(Ieventhrewuponapedaloonceonholiday

inMallorca,thoughIdidn’ttellanyonebecauseIwassoashamed.)

Jasperhadanchoredhisboatandmooredittooneofthetwolong

concretepiersthatcurveoutintoCulvercotBaylikearmsinahug.

NowIknownothingaboutboats,butIthinkhisisayacht.It’swhite,

withatallmast,andthesailisfurledupunderabluecoveralongthe

bitthatswingsfromsidetoside,whichIhappentoknowiscalledthe

boom,so–hey!–Idoknowsomethingaboutboats,afterall.

There’sasteeringwheel,whichisjustcalledawheel.

Theboatisabouttenmetreslong,andIknowthatbecauseIheard

Jasperrefertoitasa‘thirty-footer’andIknowthirtyfeetisaboutten

metres,abitless.

JollyRogeriswrittenonthesideinjauntyletters,andthere’sevena

little pirate flag hanging over the back end. The bow. Rhymes with

‘snow’,notwith‘cow’.Ormaybetheotherwayround.LikeIsaid,I’m

noexpert.

WhenwegotdowntoCulvercotpier,wecouldseeagroupofkids

hadhoppedintotheboatandweretryingthedoorofthecabin.

Weallsawitatthesametime,butJasperwas the firsttoreact.It

was like a little bomb had exploded in his head, and he went from

super-calmtosuper-angryinabouthalfasecond.

‘Oi! Hey!’ He was surprisingly fast on his feet as he ran down the

pier,shoutingandswearing.‘Youlittledevils!Getthehelloffmyboat!

Geroffitnow!’

Ohno.ItwasInigoDelombra.Insteadofbeingintimidated,thethree

boys just looked up at Jasper. The cabin door had been opened,

despite having a combination lock, but they didn’t go in. Inigo

Delombraspoke.

‘Thisyourboat?’

‘Yes,itdamnwellis!Getoffit!’Jasperreachedoutandgrabbedone

oftheboys’jackets,buthewriggledfree.

‘Oi,that’sassaultthatis,oldman!’Inigocontinued:‘Onlymedad’s

theharbourmaster,andhesaysthere’snopermittedanchoragehere

between April and September, so technically you’re in breach of

maritimeregulations.Wewerejustcheckin’ifyouwereinside,like.’

Bynow,theboyshadclamberedoutandwerestandingfacinguson

thepier.

‘Har-harbourmaster?’stammeredJasper.

‘Aye.He’sasticklerforregulations,myoldman.’Theothertwohad

beguntosaunteroff,butInigostoodhis groundbefore deliveringhis

parting shot. ‘I’ll do you a favour. I won’t mention that you assaulted

Jonesy here, but you know – y’cannit just park your boat anywhere

andnotexpectinvestigationbytheauthorities.’

Further down the pier, the other two spluttered with laughter, but

Inigo shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered off. He turned

andadded:

‘One more thing? Your entry code? One of the top ten.’ Then he

lookedatmeandsmirked.‘It’salongwalkforyoutocomebackhere,

isn’tit,Linklater?Youknow–fromDumpsville,whereyoulivenow?’

Dadwas goingdown the stepsof thepier anddidn’thear, which I

was glad about. The last thing you need when you’re dealing with

someonelikeInigoDelombraistohaveyourdadgoballisticatthem.It

canonlyevermakethingsworse.

SothetripupthecoasttoStMary’slighthouseandbackwasgrim.

Jasperwasinafoulmoodafterhisencounterwiththeboysonthe

pier,andhewasconcentratinghardonthesailing,barkingorderslike,

‘Pullin thatsheet!’andwhen Ilooked blankhe’d getfrustrated.‘The

sheet,laddie!Thatropethere–pullit!’

Becauseofthewind’sdirection,wehadtogoinazigzag(Ticking?

Tacking? Who knows?) and, more than once, Dad had to tell him,

‘Steadyon,Jasper.It’shisfirsttime.’

Except by the time we turned round, just past the lighthouse, his

mood had altered like a sea wind changing direction. It was bizarre

andabitscarytoseehowquicklyhispersonalityflipped.Hereached

into a cabinet and brought out a white captain’s cap with gold braid

andjammeditontohishead.Nextheturnedaknobontheconsoleby

thewheelandmusicblastedout.Oldmusic–peoplesinging,likeina

churchorsomething–anditwasLOUD.

‘Ah,gottalovetheoldGregorianchanting,’saidJasper,tonoone,

really.‘Atrueelevationofthesoul!’Heclosedhiseyesdreamilyfora

fewsecondsandliftedhisfacetothewind.

Then,puttingon a deep,poshvoice,hesaid,‘Takehertosea,Mr

Murdoch.Let’sstretchherlegs!’

Ismiledweakly.ThatwasalinefromthefilmTitanic,whichI’dseen

roundatMo’s.

Wehoistedtheforesail,whichwasasmalloneatthefront,andthe

boat lurched forward with a force that surprised me. Dad staggered

backandgrabbedahandrail.

Theseawasn’troughthatday,buttherewasenoughswelltomake

theboatslapdownhardonthewavesasitcarvedthroughtheshiny

grey water. I had been feeling a bit sick on the earlier part of the

journey,andthiswasn’thelping.

‘Here – take the wheel,’ said Jasper and he stepped aside. The

ship’swheelstartedturningalarmingly.‘Goon!’hesnapped.‘Takeit!’

andIdid,whilehecrankedthemusicupevenlouder.

‘Jasper, are you sure …’ yelled Dad over the chanting choir, but

Jasperwasn’tlistening.

‘ICEBERGRIGHTAHEAD!’hescreamed.‘HARDTOSTARBOARD,

MRMURDOCH!’Ididn’tknowwhatthatmeant.‘Turnthewheelhard

totheright,theRIGHT!’

HisvoicewassourgentthatIhalfbelievedthattherereallywasan

enormous iceberg loomingin front of us, a kilometre off thecoast of

WhitleyBay,andIturnedthewheelwithalltheforceIcould.Theboat

reacted only seconds later, and lurched terrifyingly to the right. Dad

was unprepared: he staggered again, banging his head hard on the

lowdoorway,andheyelledoutwithpain.

‘Piratespreparingtoboard!Hardtoport!’

There were no pirates in Titanic, but I didn’t care, and swung the

boatroundagain.Awavesplashedovertheside.

‘That’senough!’yelledDad,andwebothturnedtolookathim.‘It’s

dangerous!’

ButJasperwashavingnoneofit.Itwasasifhe’dforgottenthatwe

werejustordinarypeopleinayacht.‘Idecidewhat’sdangerousonmy

ship. Seethis?’ andhe pointed at his captain’scap. ‘It means I’m in

charge!’Hewassmilingashesaidit,notshouting,asifheandDad

werenotreallyhavinganargument.Buttheywere.

Dad pulled me awayfrom the wheel. ‘In that case, you hadbetter

take charge,’ he said, grinning coldly. He reached for the knob and

snappedoffthemusic,andthedifferencewasstartling.Instantlyitwas

justtheseaandwindsoundsagain.Andstillhedidn’tgiveuponthe

‘adultsdon’targueinfrontofkids’thing,bysaying:

‘It’s all right, Aidan. Nothing to worry about. I was just a bit

concerned,that’sall. Callmeanoldscaredy-cat,eh?’He rubbedhis

headwherehe’dbangedit.

And sowe pootled back alongthe coast to CulvercotBay, no one

sayinganythinguntilJasperturnedtoDadandsaid,‘Drink?’

‘Adrink?’ThewayDadsaidit,you’dthinkJasperhadsuggestedhe

wentskinny-dipping.

Jasperscratchedhisbeardandsaid,‘Aye.A drink.’Heopenedup

another cabinet to reveal several bottles of something I didn’t

recognise.

‘Rum,’ he explained, apparently reading my mind. ‘A sailor’s best

friend!’Inmysidevision,IsawDadrollinghiseyes.

‘It’s,ah… it’sa littleearlyinthe dayforme,Jasper,’ hesaid.‘But

yougorightahead.’

If the bottle had had a cork in it, Jasper would definitely have

grippedthecorkinhisteethtopullitout,likesomeoneinafilm.Asit

was,ithadascrewcap,whichhetookoffthenormalway,andtooka

biggulpoftherumbeforegoing,‘Ahhhh!’andsmackinghislips.Even

Icouldtellhewasputtingiton.

Otherthanthat,wesailedbackinsilence.Dadwasseething,Icould

tell.Jasper–afteracouplemoreswigsofrum–hadrevertedtobeing

hisnormalnot-Jack-Sparrowself,andIthrewupquietlyovertheback

oftheboatwithoutanyoneseeing.

As wewere walkingback along the pier, I was feelingwobbly and

sleepy.Dad’smobilephonewentoff.Hisvoicesoundedalarmed.

‘She’swhat?Police?Overthebackfence?But…Oh.Oh.OK.’Dad

turnedtousandsaid,‘Libby’sfoundthatmissingkid.’

Well,thatwokemerightup.Istaggeredalittle.Jaspergrabbedmy

armtosteadyme.

‘Althoughhe’srunawayagain,’Dadadded.

Alltheseupsanddowns:itwaslikeIwasstillatsea.

Mylittlesisterhad–Ifoundoutlater–doneathingatBrowniecamp

called‘ExploreYourWorld’,whichinvolvedgoingtoplacesnearyour

homethatyou’dneverbeentobefore.Ithinkyouweremeanttogoto

anewpark,ornewshop,orsomething.

Notgooverthebackfenceanddiscoveraboyhidinginasleeping

baginanoldworkmen’shutwithabrokenneonGARAGEsignoverit.

ButthatwaswhatLibbyhaddone.

Now, for the second time in three days, the street was alive with

peopleinuniforms–mainlypolice,buttherewasanambulancewith

paramedics as well. The ambulance doors were open, and two

paramedicsweresittingonthebackledge,lookingunconcerned.

Insideourhouseweremorepeople,andwhatevertheatmosphere

between me and Jasper and Dad had been had disappeared. There

wassomethingmuchbiggergoingon.

AuntyAlicewasmakingapotoftea,thethird,shesaid.

‘Put a shirt on, Jasper, for goodness’ sake,’ she grumbled. Jasper

wasstillinhissleevelessvest,atangleofchesthairspillingoutlikea

burstcushion.

Twoofthestrangerswereplain-clothespoliceofficers,amananda

woman.Anotherwomanwassomethingelsewiththewords‘child’and

‘protection’inhertitle.

One of the police officers, the woman, was talking to Libby, who

lookedterrified.

‘It’sallright,pet.You’vedonenowtwrong,reallyy’haven’t,’saidthe

woman, but it didn’t look as though Libby believed her. ‘Now tell me

againwhatyousaw.’

She was making notes as Libby spoke. The doorbell went again,

mobilephoneswerepingingandbuzzingallovertheplace,thekettle

gave its electronic whistle to say it had boiled, a helicopter clattered

abovethewoods.Itwaschaos.

Just then,a shout went upfrom outside ourfront door, whichwas

open.

‘They’vefoundhim!’

The news got passed around and repeated. Voices barked and

crackledeverywhere.

‘They’vefoundhim…foundhim…foundhim…’

‘Bringhimupthebackway…’

‘Injuredarm,notcritical…’

‘Notconfirmedhisnameyet…’

‘Presumetraumatised,Sarge,treatwithcaution…’

I felt a dig in my back. Turning, I saw that it was Roxy. She

murmured,‘Bigsurprisethat,eh?’

Roxydidn’tseematallworriedbythefactthatsheandImightbein

bigtroublefor‘aidingafugitive’orwhateveryoucallwhatwe’ddone.I

couldn’t share her lack of concern, and my stomach – already a bit

wobblyfromtheboatride–turnedoveragain.

A uniformed officer appeared through the gap in the fence and

beckonedtothe‘protection’lady,whostompedoutpurposefully.

Then everything went quiet for about twenty minutes. The male

plain-clothesofficerchattedquietlytoMumandDadandAuntyAlice,

whilethewomantookouthernotebookandwentroundusall,taking

our names and addresses, that sort of thing. She stopped at Aunty

Alice.

‘Doyoulivehere,madam?’

‘Oh no, officer,’ and she gave her address in Warkworth, up the

coast.

‘Andyourfullname?’

‘AliceHooke.Mrs.WithanE.’Theofficerwroteitalldown.

Just then, there was movement at the end of the garden. A

policeman squeezed through the fence gap first, followed by a very

dirtyandbedraggledAlfie,andanotheruniformedofficer.

Theyparadedupthegardenandintoourkitchen.Thepeopleleftin

thekitchenparted,creatingspaceforthemtowalkthrough.

Alfie’s whole being seemed to be weighed down by a cloak of

unhappinessasheavyasiron.

Andthenhelookedatus,meandRoxy,andthefurythatburntfrom

his eyes was alarming. He said nothing but I knew that he thought

we’dbetrayedhim,toldLibbyabouthim,orsomething.

Icouldn’t sayanything. Icouldn’t say, ‘Wedidn’t tellon you,Alfie,’

becausethatwouldhaverevealedourdeceptiontotheadultsfussing

around in our kitchen. Instead we stayed silent, and Alfie looked so

angry.

There was a moment – maybe ten seconds – as he stood there,

shirtless and filthy, when nobody said anything while they stared at

Alfie.

Therewasplenty tostareat:his haircakedin mud,hisjeanswith

the sparkly sequins, the strange, faded tattoo on his back and the

scarsonhisupperarm.

Libby looked him up and down, but didn’t seem to recognise her

jeans,thankgoodness,probablybecausetheyweresomuddy.

Then,throughthethrongofpeopleinourkitchen,cameJasper,who

didthisweirdthing.HebentdowninfrontofAlfieandexaminedhim

likeaspecimeninamuseum:loweringhistintedglasses,lookingleft,

lookingright,thenturningAlfieroundtogazeatthetattoo.

Alfie didn’t seem to mind everyone looking. I thought he was just

dazed–likethisexaminationwaspartofbeingcaught.

ThenInoticedJasperblinkingandgawpingatAlfie,andhesawme

lookingathim,andturnedawaysuddenly.Alfie’seyeswerecastdown

atthefloorandhedidn’tnoticeanything,butJasper’seyeswentback

againandagainandIrealisedhewasgazingatAlfie’sscars.Although

hesaidnothing,hisruddyfacehadgonecompletelypale.

Hewasbehavingoddly,tobesure,butthennothingaboutthiswas

normal.

Thepolicewomanintervened.

‘Excuseme,sir?’

Jasperlookedatherasthoughhewascomingoutofatrance.He

waspullingonashirt,anditwasonlythenthatInoticedhisupperarm

hadtwohorizontalscarsinexactlythesameplaceasAlfie’s.

Alittleequalssign.

Strange,Ithought.But,inthewholekitchenconfusion,Ididn’tdwell

onit.

‘Excuseme,sir?’thepolicewomanrepeated.

‘Yes?’saidJasper.

‘We just need some details from you, please …’ She took out her

notebook.

Ilooked around,forAlfie,to seeif I couldget him onhis ownand

explain,buthehadalreadybeentakenawaytothewaitingpolicecar.

Itwasacoincidence,surely?

Thedoublescars,likeanequalssign.

Itcouldnotbe.

Ijustsawhisarmquickly,Itellmyself.SurelyIamdeluded?Thestress,

thefire,mymam,everything…Icannotbethinkingstraight.

Iaminapolicecarwithablanketroundme,peopletalkingabovemyhead

intoradiosandtelephones,abluelightflashingintherear-viewmirror,anda

lady with too much perfume sitting next to me, patting my arm (which is

somewhatannoying).

But,wheneverythingandeverybodyoneknowsandlovesisdestroyedina

singlenight,itcanaffectone’sjudgement.

One’sjudgement?Yourjudgement.Yousee,Idonotevenspeaklikeyou,

althoughItry.Iamtryingvery,veryhard.

OK?

(MamandIlistenedtothewireless,althoughthepeopleonthewirelessdo

notusuallyspeakthesamewaythatpeoplearoundheredo.Itrytotalklike

them, butI get itwrong: I can hear it myself, and I can tellwhen I talkto

otherpeople–whichisnotoften–thattheysometimesthinkIspeakoddly.)

As if from a distance, there is a voice in the car: ‘… Alfie? You OK,

Alfie?’

Itgetslouder.

‘Alfie!’

Iturn;itisnotloudatall.Itisjusttheladynexttomeonthebackseatof

thecar,andsheispattingmyhandevenmoreforcefully.Iwouldliketomove

myarmoutofherway,butthatwouldseemrude,soIendure itforalittle

longerbeforesaying,‘Pleasestopthat.’

Shelooksatherhand,startled,andthenwithdrawsit.

Wasthatrude?Isaid‘please’.

‘We’regoingtotakeyousomewheresafe, Alfie,’sheissaying.‘Youcan

getcleanedup,andwe’llgetyousomethingtoeat.Ibetyou’rehungry,love?’

I say nothing. I am not hungry at all. Before betraying me this morning,

Roxyhadbroughtmebreadrolls,cheese,twoapples,abananaandachicken

leginfoil.Ihadeatenitall,likeacondemnedman’slastmeal.

Thenthelittlegirl(Liberty?Somethinglikethat)haddonetheirdirtywork

forthem.

Iwasonmyownintheshed,theonethatRoxycallshergarage,whichI

thinkis quitefunny. Sheisaclevergirl.Mamwouldcallherwordsnoterlic

(saidlikeward-snotter-lick).Itmeanswiseandsharp.

Aidan?Flarath she would have said. Traitor. I begged them both to say

nothing.TheytoldAidan’ssister.Shetoldeverybody.

NowIsitinapolicecarwithablanketandaladycalledSangeetawhoisa

Child Protection Officer, whatever that may be. She said she was working

withthepolicetoensuremysafety.

Thisiswhatshesaysinabreathy,sing-songvoice,asthoughIweresixor

something.

‘Hello, Alfie? My name’s Sangeeta. I’m a designated Child Protection

OfficerworkingwithNorthumbriaPolice.I’vebeenassignedtoyoutoensure

yoursafety.DoIhaveyourpermissionforphysicalcontact?’

Shespeakslikethisalot,Ithink.Itisasthoughshehasmemorisedphrases

liketheactorsinplaysthatMamandIliked.

FranklyIamnotreallylistening.Mymindkeepsgoingbacktothemanin

Aidan’skitchen.

Thedoublescars.Acoincidence,surely,Itellmyself.

I wonder what Mam would have said. A lady in jeans and sandals

protecting me, Alve Einarsson, who once protected Mam from a bear by

shouting at it, although that was a long, long time ago when things were

differentfromnow.(Forastart,therewerebears.Well,atleastone.)

EverythingaroundmebringseverythoughtbacktoMam,andIfeelatear

rolldownmycheek.Sangeetaseesthisandstartstopatmyarmagain,butI

lookatherhandandshestops.

Canwepleasegetgoing?Thereisnobodyin the driver’s seat.Comeon,

youhavefoundmenow,whatisthedelay?

Hereiswhathappened.

Iwasin thegaragewhenIheardsomeoneapproaching.I hadassumedit

wasRoxycomingback,orAidan,soIdidnotbothertoconcealmyself.That

was my mistake. I should have known better. The door opened and Libby

(thatishername,Irecallnow)stoodthere,staringatme.

A little girl, maybe seven, eightyearsold. I knew immediatelythatIhad

been betrayed: no one would come looking for me unless they knew I was

there.

SoIlefteverythingandstartedtorunintothewoods.Iknowthosewoods

better thananyone. I could easily hide myself fora while if anybody came

looking,thenIwouldmakemywaybacktothegarage,andrestarttheplan

devisedbyMamandme.

Ludicrous.Unworkable.Afantasy.Iknow–butIwasdesperate.

Thereisahollowonthenorthsideofthewoods:a depression beneath a

fallentreethatisovergrownwithgorseandspikyjuniperandimpossibleto

seejustbywalkingpast.

IshouldhaveknownwhenIheardthehelicopterthuddingintheskythatI

wouldnotbeallowedtoescapequietlyandgetonwithmylife,ourplan.

Iheardthevoicesfirst,thenthefootstepscomingnearer.Ishuffledalittle

deeperintomycrevice.Therewassomethingelse,though.

Adog.

The police dog found me in the ditch. It was sniffing furiously, then

whining.IhadleftaT-shirtinthegarage.Theymusthaveallowedthedogto

sniff it, then ‘game over’, as I think you say. I should have expected it, I

suppose.

‘Come on, son,’ said the dog’s handler, a policeman in a bright yellow

jacket.Heheldhishandoutforme.‘Mindthethorns.’

Ithoughtaboutrunningbutwhatwasthepoint?

Iwouldsimplyendurewhatwastocome.ItcouldnothavebeenasbadasI

wasimagining.

HowwrongIwasthere.Asthedrivergotintothecar,andreversedoutof

thespace,ajourneystartedthatwastogetworsethanIcouldpossiblyhave

dreamt.

First,though,Ihavetoanswerthequestionthathasbeenscuttlingaround

inmyheadlikeacockroach:

DoItellthetruth?

OfcourseIdonottellthetruth.ItoldthetruthtoAidan.

I trusted him. Hours later, I found myself in the back seat of a police

vehicleprovingtomethat,insituationssuchasthis,tellingthewholetruthis

–tosaytheleast–unwise.

Besidestheyprobablyalreadyknow.WhywouldAidan–andRoxy,since

he certainly told her – have held back the information about my age when

theybetrayedmywhereabouts?Theywouldnothave,wouldthey?Itwould

havebeen:

‘Weknowwherethemissingboyis,andyou’llneverguesswhat?Hesays

he’sathousandyearsold!’

SoIsaynothing,nothingatall.Thatwasthetacticthathadsavedmeand

Mamcountlesstimesovertheyears.Ifyousaynothingthennothingcanbe

usedagainstyou.

FortunatelythisSangeetaladydoesnotfirealotofquestionsatme.Infact

shesaysverylittleatall,otherthanfactualstuff,instructions.Suchas:

‘Allright,Alfie.We’regoingtothepolicestationatNorthShieldsfirst,but

it’s nothing to worry about. You haven’t done anything wrong. There’s a

clinic there, and we’ll get that arm of yours checked out by a doctor, all

right?’

Inod.Ihaveaheadache.Ilostmydarkglassesinthefireandthedaylight

ishurtingmyeyes.

Ifallthiswerenotstrangeenough,nosoonerhadthecar’senginestarted

than that man came out of Aidan’s house, the bearded man who had been

thereinthekitchenwhenIcamein.Arelative?Afriend?

Thedoublescars.

Hebrushedpasteveryoneandtappedonthecarwindow.Ishrankbackinto

thecarseat.Atthatpoint,apoliceman’sarmcamebetweenhimandtheglass.

‘Excuseme,sir?’

‘IneedtospeaktoAlfie,’hesaid.Turningbacktome,heleantdownatthe

window.‘Alfie!Alfie!’

‘Sir,sir.Sorry,but…youcan’tjust…’

‘Unhandme,officer!’

‘Sir,Imuststopyou.Areyouarelative?’

‘No.No.Ijustneed…’

‘Sir,ifyoucontinuetostruggle,I’mafraidI’mgoingtohaveto…’

‘Jasper!Whatonearthisgoingon?’Awoman–Aidan’smother,Ithink–

hadappearedinthedoorwayandwasyellingatthisJaspercharacter.

Bynow,wewerebackingoutofthedriveway.Asweturned,Icranedmy

neck.Themanwasbeingspokentobyapoliceofficerandthewoman,andhe

seemedquiteagitated.

‘Whowasthat?’askedSangeeta.Ishookmyhead.

‘Ihavenoidea,’Isaid,whichwastrue.

Yet,throughmydaze,Ikeptthinkingofwhatthatmanhadsaid:‘Unhand

me,officer!’

Nobodyspeakslikethat.Dothey?

Therewassomethingelse,though.SomethingIcouldnotidentify,because

itwas notathing.Itwasafeeling.Itwasafeeling that lasted amoment, a

second, when he stared into my face through the car window and our eyes

met. When I tried to recall the feeling, it slithered away, as if I were

attemptingtocatchafishinabarrelwithmyhands.

ItwasthefeelingthatIhadseenhimbefore,anditdidnotfeelgood.

Therestofthedaywastobelikethis:aseeminglyendlessparadeofpeople

talking gently to me, pretending they were my friend in order to find out

everythingaboutme.

At the police station, I was taken to a room labelled FAMILY SERVICES

wherethereweresofas,andatelevisionplayingacartoonfilmaboutalittle

fishtotheemptyroom.Aplasticsit-inpolicecarwasnexttoabookshelfwith

mainly picture books and one or two battered children’s paperbacks, and a

boxofsofttoys.

Sangeetapointed outthe booksbefore asking,in avoice thatproved she

had practised sounding as natural and relaxed as she could, ‘Can you read

OK,Alfie?Andwrite?’

Thetruth?Thiswouldbethetruth:

‘Thank you, Miss Prasad. I am proficient in Old Norse, Old English,

MiddleEnglishandModernEnglish,plusFrench,Latin,Greek(ancientand

modern,althoughtheyarenotso dissimilar)anda smatteringof Welsh and

ScotsGaelic.’

I did not say that, of course. Instead I just nodded. I was not insulted. I

knewshewasjustdoingherjob.

Sheshowedmetheshowerroom,andleftmewithsoapandatowel,anda

pileofclothesfromMarks&Spencer,allnew,withthelabelsattached,that

appearedinthechangingareaasifbymagic.Theymusthavehadacupboard

fullofthem.Ihadneverwornproperboys’jeansbefore.Theywerethickand

stiff, with machine stitching, quite well-made. The white shoes were nice.

Trainers?Sneakers?Ithinktheyaretrainers.

Lunch was something in a box called a Happy Meal from McDonald’s,

which I have heard of, of course, but I have never had before. For some

reason,therewasaplastictoywithit.Thefood wasnicebutthedrinkwas

toosweetandIhadwaterinsteadfromthetap.

Thedoctorwasallright,butsheaskedmorequestionsthanSangeeta.As

sheremovedthebandagesthatRoxyhadputon,shesaid,‘Hmm.Notabad

homedressing,Alfie.Whodidthatforyou?’

Isaidnothingasshesetaboutcleaningtheburn.Ithurtlikeflaminghell,

butIgrittedmyteethandmadenosound.

‘You’reatoughlad,Alfie.’

Iwishedtheywouldallstopusingmynamesomuch.Iknowitistomake

themseemfriendlier,butitisannoying.

‘Howdidyoucomebythisinjury?’

Istayedquiet.

Theycannotforcemetotalk.

She gave me a thorough check-up: head lice, blood pressure, saliva

samples,height,weight,everything.

‘Andhowolddidyousayyouwere,Alfie?’sheasked,herpenpoisedover

aprintedsheet,whichshewasfillingin.

Ihadnotsaid.Icouldhavesaidonethousandandeleven.

IfIhad,whatthen?Wouldthingshavebeendifferent?

‘I’meleven,’Isaid.

‘Uh-huh.OK.Andyourdateofbirth.’

This was trickier but I had worked it out earlier. I told her the year that

wouldmakemeeleven,andadded,‘Septemberthefirst.’Everythingwaspart

oftheplan.

Then, with fresh bandages, and a full stomach, the questions began in

earnest.Iknewtheywould.

Sangeeta came into the sofa room with another woman who introduced

herselfasVerickafromNorthTynesideSocialServices.Shewasolder,with

short white hair, glasses on a chain round her neck and a face that looked

permanentlyslightlyannoyed.

They both had thick notepads, and sheaves of forms. We may be here a

while,Ithought.

‘Allright,Alfie.Wehavetoaskyouafewquestions,doyouunderstand?’

Inodded,anditstarted.Gentlyatfirst.Name,ageandthen:

‘Canweaskyouaboutyourmum,pet?’

Inoddedandtoldthemhernameandage,allaccordingtotheplan.

Theywroteintheirpads.

‘Wheredoyougotoschool,Alfie?’

‘Idonotgotoschool.Iamhomeeducated.Home-ed.’

Home-ed.Thatistheslang,isitnot?

‘I see,’ said Sangeeta. ‘Only you don’t appear on the home-education

I shrugged, as if to say, ‘That is your problem, not mine.’ Sangeeta and

Verickaexchangedaglance.

‘Andwhoisyourfamilydoctor,Alfie?’

Shrug.

‘Doyoueverseeadoctor?’

Ishookmyhead.

‘Don’tyouevergetpoorly?’askedVericka,abitcrossly,Ithought.

I shook my headagain, onlythis timemy answerwas moreor less true.

Coughs, colds, occasional tummy aches, but nothing you would bother a

doctorabout.Mamhadremediesformostthings.

‘Doyouhaveanyfamily,Alfie?Anybodyyoucanstaywith?’

Ishookmyhead.Thatwasthetruth.TherewasjustMamandme.

Sangeeta pressed on. ‘No one at all? An aunty, an uncle? Maybe living

somewhereelse?Familyfriends?’Shewasgettingdesperate.‘Anyoneatall?’

Shrug.AnotherlookbetweenSangeetaandVericka.

Andsoitcontinuedforanotherhour,andIstillstucktotheplan.

Iwasleftaloneforalittlewhileafterthat,andthenSangeetacameinwith

yetanotherwoman,andIwasbeginningtoforgetalltheirnamesnow.Began

withanL.Anywayshewasa‘ChildBereavementCounsellor’whoaskedme

ifIwantedtotalkaboutMam,and,whenIsaidno,proceededtoaskmeall

about her,anyway, forcing meto rememberand that made me cry, which I

hated.

Shesaidshewouldmeetmeanothertime,andtoldmeIcouldalwayscall

herup,or ask tosee herany time(which wasunlikely) and thatshe would

informmeaboutMam’sfuneral.

Aftersheleft,incameaman.AlmostthefirstmanIhadspokentoallday.

Idonotknow,really,whyIwaspleasedaboutthatbutIwas.

HewascalledRobbie.HewasaFireInvestigationsOfficer.Hewantedto

knowaboutthefire.ItoldhimeverythingIknew.

Well,almosteverything.

Mam had been on edge the evening it happened, and all because of Roxy

Minto’sappearanceinourbackyardthatafternoon.

Theeveninghadturnedchilly,asIhadpredicted,andwewereindoorswith

awoodfiregoing.

‘Doyourememberthefirsttimeyoumetablackman,Alve?’Mamsaid.I

suppose because of Roxy. We had recounted this story to each other a few

timesovertheyears,butwestillbroughtitoutnowandthenbecauseitwas

funny.

Itwasnotlongafterthisstorybegan.Itwasinthesixthorseventhyearof

thefirstKingHenry’sreign,or1107asyouwouldsaynow.Bythen,Mam

andIwerelivinginJarrow,wheretherehadbeenagreatmonastery,butby

thattimeitwasalmostinruins.

Therewasoneoldpriorremaining–aseniormonk–andahandfulofolder

boys and young men, including me, who were learning and reading and

trainingtobecomemonksourselves.

Itwasasleepy,emptyplace:nooneaskedtoomanyquestionsaboutmeor

Mam.Mamwouldvisittheoldprior,Paul,tokeephimcompany.

Monkswerenotallowed,ofcourse,tohavewivesorgirlfriendsalthough

many did, secretly. Everyone knew about Mam and Paul but nobody really

minded.Oriftheymindedtheysaidnothing.Iaskedheronceifshewasin

lovewithPaul.Shesmiledandsaid,‘Inamannerofspeaking.’

Paulknewoursecrettoo.ThelegendoftheNeverdeadswasstillalivein

thosedays.

Hekeptoursecret;wekepthis.

Backthen,wehadseenmanypeoplefromdifferentcountries.Therewere

theDanes,obviously,theoneswhostayed.TherewerealsolotsofScots,who

werenotsopopularinourpartoftheworld,althoughitdependedonwhich

dialecttheyspoke.Forsomeyears,wehadheardmorepeoplespeakingthe

Frankish tongue – they had come from what is now France with the

conqueringking,William,whohadlaterbeensocrueltosomanypeoplein

thenorthofEngland,butwhohadnotcomeasfarnorthasus.

ButinquietJarrow?Notforseveralyearshadanyonepassedthroughfrom

anothercountry,untilthearrivalofJohannesatourpriory.

Hewas young, withskinthe colourandsheen ofthecoal dust thatlined

ourseashores,andnoneofushadeverseenanythinglikehim.

Hehadcometolearnwithus,topraywithus,tojoinourcommunity.He

arrived on foot from Monkwearmouth, down by the coast, and, when he

entered the village, people stared. People literally stopped and gaped. An

olderladygavealittleshriekofsurprise.Hewasnotwearingamonk’srobe,

justa normaltunic andbreeches, witha woollen wrapsecured bya leather

belt.

Ithinkthatiswhatastonishedpeople:hewasdressedjustlikeus.

OldPaulhadbeenexpectinghim,ofcourse,andcameouttogreethim,and

hegrinned,andtheyclaspedhands,andcameintothemonasterywhereIhad

heardnothingoftheyoungmanwhowastojoinus.

Iknewaboutblackpeople,ofcourse.Thefarawayplacethatwenowcall

Africa was well known to be populatedwith men and women and children

whohadshinyblackskin,butwhosebloodwasasredasmine.Thenagain,I

hadheardallsortsofthingsfromtravellers.

Howcould Ibe sureabout Johannes,then? Likethe story ofSt Thomas,

whodoubtedthereappearanceofJesusafterhisdeathonthecross,Irequired

proof.IreachedoutandtriedtorubthecolourfromJohannes’sface.Ilooked

at my fingers for smudges, but there were none. I rubbed his arm, and he

laughed: a good-natured laugh, not mean at all. This had happened to him

manytimesbefore,hetoldmelater.

‘Scholasticusbonuses,oamice!’hesaidtomeinLatin.‘Youareagood

student, myfriend!’ He toldme, ‘Scholars mustask questions and discover

answers!’

Allmenoflearning(andbackthenitwasnearlyalwaysmen)spokeLatin.

It was the way that educated people from different countries could

communicate.

We allspokeour ownlanguagestoo, ofcourse.At homewithMam, she

andIstillspokeaformofOldNorse;withmanyofthemonksinJarrowwe

spokeadialectofAnglo-SaxonthatisnowknownasOldNorthumbrian.

We could understand other types of Anglo-Saxonas well. Iwas learning

how tospeak Frankish and had already mastered Greek, becauseit was the

originallanguageofsomuchoftheHolyBiblethatIcopiedmanytimesasa

youngscribe.

MamandIlaughedatthememoryofJohannes.Hehadbeenagoodfriend

tous.HestayedafewyearsinJarrowandthen–aswasthewaywithmonks

–hemovedon,takinghislearningandtheWordofGodwithhim.

About three decades later, Johannes passed through Jarrow again on his

waytothecathedralinDurham.

Hewasamiddle-agedmannow,nolongerslim,andwithgreyinghair,but

hissmilewasaswarmaseverandhesatatourhearth,lookedatusbothand

hesitatedalittlebeforesaying:‘Neverdeads?’

He knew. We trusted him, we nodded and he smiled, shaking his head

slowly.‘OfalltheLord’sholymiracles!’

Wesmiledtoo,althoughweknewitwasnotaholymiraclebutscience.Or

al-kimiya,aswecalleditthen.Alchemy.

Back at our fireside in Oak Cottage, I did my Johannes voice for Mam,

becauseshethoughtitwasfunnyandshelikedtorememberhim.

‘OfalltheLord’sholymiracles!’Isaid,andMamchuckledformaybethe

twohundredthtimeatthat.

Iputanotherlogonthefire.Theywerepoorlogs.Ihadbeenlazythatday

and picked an armful from the pile nearest the house. They were not yet

seasonedproperly.

Woodthat has fallen naturally because the treeorbranch is dead isoften

goodalready. Thiswood,though, wasfroma tree thathadblown overina

stormintheearlyspring.Mamtuttedgently.‘Alve!Youbroughtinthenew

wood,didn’tyou?’

Robbiewouldknowallaboutfire,soIdidnottellhimthatbit,northestuff

aboutJohannes.ButItoldhimtherest.

Mamhadgoneuptoherbed,ItoldRobbietheFireInvestigator.Ihadgone

out,asIoftendo,toshootrabbits.

It is all right. I donot shoot them for fun. I shoot rabbits in order to eat

them. I know some people in the twenty-first century are squeamish about

thingslikethat,especiallythosewholiveintowns:thatiswhyIpointitout.

(Ihaveaslingtoshootwith.Youdonotusethemnowadays,butslingsare

a very effective weapon. Mine has a small pouch in the middle of a long

leathercord.Imade it manyyears agoand Iam quiteaccurate. Ialso have

Da’sknife,thesteelbladedarkenedwithage,andwornthinthroughcenturies

ofsharpening.)

I told none of this to Robbie, however. I just said that I was going fora

walk.

‘Atnight?’heaskedbuthetriednottosoundsurprised.

Thereisahugefieldtothenorthofourwoods,whichoncoolspringnights

isfullofrabbits.UntilquiterecentlyIhadneverseenanybodythereatnight.

Notuntilthenewestatewasbuilt,andthensomepeoplewalkeddogsthere.I

had stopped going so often. I would not want to hit someone’s dog by

accident,orevenaperson.

Ihadthebiglight,onaheadstrap,thatItakewithme,butthemoonwasso

high–almostfull–thatIdidnotneedittoseetheway.InsteadIturnediton

when I got to the field, and swept the beam at ground level. That way, the

eyesoftherabbitsshinebackandyouhaveyourtarget.

I spotted one immediately, and slowly withdrew my sling and put a ball

bearing,abouthalfaninchacross,inthepouch.Ikepttherabbit’seyesinmy

sights,notmovingmyheadwhileIbeganthe‘wind-up’–spinningthepouch

round on the long strings. That is when I noticed something different. A

different kind of light to the south: very faint, a different colour. Orangey,

greyish.

Thecolouroffire.

Forgiveme,butIdonotsupposeyouhavebeengreatlyexposedtoseeing

thingsonfire:buildings,towns,boats?

Ihave.

I knew immediately what it was. Terror mounting, I sprinted back to the

woods, batting away branches, skidding on moss, my breathing rapid and

shallow. I nearly tripped over Biffa who came pelting out of the woods. I

knewthenthatsomethingwasbadlywrong.

‘Biffa! Biffa! Kum-a, kum-a!’ I cried but she did not even look back.

Terrified,sheranacrossthefieldasifpursuedbyadog.

Eventhen,Iheardinmyheadthevoiceofmyoldcombatteacher,Rafel:

‘Calm,Alve.Yourheart,sheneedstheair!’andItriedtomakemybreathing

sloweranddeeper,butitwasnoteasy.

Inthedensewoods,Icouldnotseetheorangeglow,norsmellthesmoke,

untilIgotmuchnearer,butsoonitwasunmistakable.Afewyardsfurtherand

Icouldhearit:asortofhigh-pitchedwhoosh,andcrackling.

AndthereitwasbelowmeasIstood,wheezing,onthewoodedslope:my

house,ourhouse,aroaring,terrifyinginferno,yellow-orangeflameslicking

thetreesthatseemedtobeshrinkingbackfromtheheat.

Ihadonethoughtonly,andIscreameditagainandagainatthetopofmy

smoke-filledlungs:

‘MAAAAAAAAM!MAM!MAAAM!’

Icouldnotevengetneartothehouse.Someofthechickenshadgotout,

andoneflapped bymyfeet.Otherswerestilltrapped inthecoop.Amythe

goat’sstalldoorwasbangingopen.

I watched in powerless horror as a glass window cracked and shattered

withtheheat.CouldIgetcloser?WhataboutMam?Ijumpeddownintothe

yardwhereonlythatdayRoxyMintohadfallenandhurtherhead.Iknewit

wasdangeroustotrytosaveMam,butIwasnotthinkingstraight,andIranto

thecorneroftheburninghouse,grabbingabucketofwaterontheway.

Ithrewthebucketatthebackstairway,thinkingmaybeIcouldgetupstairs,

whichwasalreadyablaze.Itsizzled,andforabriefmomentIthoughtthere

may bea chance, but then, seconds later, the water had evaporated and the

flameswereadvancingagain.

Thenitfell:thewoodenlintelaboveacollapseddoorcameawaywithout

warning and thudded into my arm, singeing my flesh and causing me to

screamout.

Iretreated,shoutingagain,‘MAM!WHEREAREYOU?’Icollapsedina

coughingfitasthicksmokeenvelopedme.

In the back of my mind, a hideous, ugly thought was forming. Looking

back,itseemsratherstrangetomethatatthatmomentofterroratleastpartof

mymindwasconsideringmattersinacalmanddetachedway.

Ithinkitmaybealittlelikethosepeoplewhosaythatatatimeofgreat

drama,‘everythingseemedtoslowdown’.Forme,thingsdidnotslowdown,

butinstead somethingsbecame clearer,like acameralens focusingonone

partofablurrypicture.

SothisiswhatIthought:

‘Isittimetoenacttheplan?’

Throughthesmokeandtheastonishingheatandthenoiseofdestructionall

around me, that thought, that thought alone, was as sharp and clear as a

monasterybellonawinter’snight.

Theheatandtheflamesforcedmeback,furtherandfurther.Myarmwas

hurting,myeyeswerestingingsomuchthatwaterwasstreamingfromthem.

IcriedoutagainforMam.Hadsheescaped?Shewouldfindme,surely?

ThenIheardthesirens,andIranuphill,uptheslope.Iraninterrorandin

panic.IranuntilIcametotheshedthathadbeenthereformonths,andIlet

myselfinwiththekeythatIhadseenthelittlegirlputunderthestonebefore.

Thatwasit.Thatwashowithappened,thenightmymotherdied.

Ilookedup at Robbie.He hadstopped writing,and hiseyeswerefullof

tears,whichalarmedmealittle.

Hesniffedloudly and lookedat hisshoes, shakinghishead.‘I am so,so

sorry,Alfie.Truly,son,Iam.’

He seemed very shaken. The silence was uncomfortable, so I said, ‘My

mam?’

Helookedup.‘Yes?’

‘Did…didshe…’IcouldnotformthequestiontowhichIsowantedan

answer.Robbiehelpedme.

‘Didshesuffer,youmean?’Inodded.

Heseemedtoweighhiswords.‘No,’hesaid,eventually.‘No.Idon’tthink

so.’

I swallowed hard. ‘Thank you.’ Then I added, ‘Have you seen a cat? A

black-and-whitecat?’

Heshookhishead.‘Sorry,son.’

IhadforgottenthatSangeetawassittinginthecorneruntilshegotupand

said,‘Thanks,Robbie.IthinkAlfiehashadenoughnow,’andforonceIwas

notannoyedbyherpresumingtoknowwhatwasgoodforme.

Ihadhadenough.

Sangeetadrove me toahouse ontheterraced seafront inCulvercot– abig

white villa with a name: Earl Grey House. There were square pillars either

sideofthefrontdoor.Insideithadhighceilingsandsmeltoffoodandcheap

airfreshener.

Achildren’shome.Myhome.

IamathousandyearsoldandIliveinachildren’shome.

Imissmymam.ImissBiffa.Somehownothingseemsquitesobadwhen

youarestrokingacat.

Yet,forseveralhoursnow,Ihavebeenthinkingonlyaboutthemanwith

thebeardandthescars,justlikemine.SurelyIimaginedit.

Surely?

I was certain now that I recognised him. From somewhere. Then, once

again,thememorywriggledfrommygrasp.

Well,thatwasodd.

I mean – Jasper running out of the house and all that, and Mum

goingafterhim,andpracticallydragginghimawayfromthecarbefore

hegotarrestedorsomething.

Dadhadbeenwatchingfromthehouse.‘He’snuts.Honestly,Marie.

Iknewtherewassomethingnotrightabouthim.’

‘Shush, Ben,’ said Mum because Aunty Alice – who had seen

nothingofthis–wasapproachingwithLibbybehindher.

‘Poorlad!’saidJasper,ashecamebackintothehouse.Hegrinned

his long-toothed grin, and then raised a hand to wave at the police

officerswhowerestillmillingaroundoutside.‘Thanks,fellas!’hesaid,

asifthey’ddonehimafavour.WhichIsuppose,bynotarrestinghim,

theyhad.

Jasper seemed relaxed and confident, but he was faking it, I was

sure.Perhapsittakesabadliartospotabadlie.

‘Ah, that poor wee lad. I just wanted to wish him all the best, you

know?’

‘Oh yeah?’ said Dad. It came out a bit aggressively, but Jasper

eitherdidn’tnotice,orhadtokeepupthepretence.

‘Yes.Whataninconceivablyrottenthingtohavehappenedtohim!I

wantedtotellhimthatthesituationwouldgetbetter.’

AuntyAlicehadmissedallofthis.She’dbeentalkinginthekitchen

withapolicewomanshe’dbeenatschoolwith.‘What’sup?’ she said

innocently.

Jaspergotinfirst.‘Ah, notmuch.I wasjusttryingtoreassurethat

young fellow. He looked so lost, you know? Police said it wasn’t the

timeorplace,and you know–theywereprobablyright inhindsight.’

He turned and headed upstairs. ‘Anyway – look at the time! We’d

betterbeonourway,Alice,meoldfruitpie.’

I kid you not – he talks like that. They were out of the house and

back to their boat in Culvercot within half an hour. Jasper refused

Dad’sofferofaliftandphonedforataxi.

Itwasthestrangestatmosphere.Everybodywasbehavingnormally,

butnobody wasfeeling normal. Libby had gone upstairs and did not

comedowntowavethemoff.

As soon as the taxi had rounded the end of the close, Dad

murmured,‘Blimey!Don’twanttoseehiminamonthofSundays.’

Mumslappedhisarmplayfully.‘Ben!That’smybrother-in-law.’

Dadtutted.‘Brotheroutlaw,morelike.’

Nightafternight,Isleptbadly.WhenyouareasoldasIam,therearealotof

memoriesthatcanturnintobaddreams.

Theman’sfacekeptcomingintomymind,whenheleantdownatthecar

window,andeachtimeIwouldreachforthememory,butitwouldeludeme

and I would wake,sweating, inthe hotnights. Mybed was covered with a

‘duvet’.Iwasusedtosheetsandblankets.

Iatelittle.MamandIusedtohavesimplefood.Idonotknowwhy,butat

EarlGreyHouseweareservedforeignthingslike curry,andspaghetti,and

peri-perichicken,whichburnsmylips.

Pizzaisallright.Idonotmindpizza.

IhadbeeninEarlGreyHouseforaweekandeverybodyfromSangeeta,

whomI sawdaily, to thechildren’s-home staff(ledby aslightlyscary lady

whowasintroducedtomeasAuntyReet)wasbeingverygentleandsweet.

Therewereeightotherchildrenthereofassortedages.Twoofthegirlssmiled

atme,butIdidnotfeelmuchlikespeaking.ThelastpersonIhadspokenthe

truthtobetrayedmetothepolice.NowIhadtolearntoliveinmylifeoflies.

IdonotsupposethatthemanwiththeNeverdeadscarsknowswhereIam

now,andbesidesItellmyselfthatIwasprobablyimaginingitall,anyway.

Itiseasierthatway.Forthetimebeing,anyhow.

Then the subject of Mam’s funeral came up. I knew it would, of course.

SangeetaaskedmeifIwantedtogo.Isaidyes.Ihavebeentomorefunerals

thanalmostanyoneIhaveevermet,includingoldpeople.

Ihadseenaheadlineinthelocalnewspapertwodaysearlier:

Woodsfirevictim:‘simple’funeralfortragicmum

SangeetaalsoaskedmeifIwantedtohelporganiseit,butIsaidno.

Sotherewewere,meandAuntyReet,onaSaturdaymorningoutsideEarl

GreyHouse,waitingforSangeetatotakeustoWhitleyCrematorium,where

deadpeopleareburntinsteadofputtingtheminagrave.

I think Mam would have approved. We once saw a funeral for a Viking

thane, or lord. I say Viking: he was Danish, at least, but he liked the old

Vikingwaysbecauseitwashisfamilyheritage.Bythen,hisfamilyhadlived

peacefullyuptheTyneforfourorfivegenerations.

A floating platform had been constructed on the beach at Culvercot,

althoughtherewasnovillagetherethen.Thethane’sbodywasplacedonit

andsurroundedwithwoodandseacoal,setalightandpushedouttosea.

Weallgatheredandsangtheoldsongsandatemeatthatthethane’sfamily

hadprovided.Intruth,everybodyknewthatonlythemostimportantpeople

wereeverburiedonanactualburningship.Forastart,youhadtobeableto

affordashiptoburn.EaldorSveyn–thedeadlord–wascertainlynotthat

importantorthatrich.Hewas,though,whatyouwouldnowcalla‘snob’.He

imaginedhimselftobegranderthanhereallywas.Butwedidnotmind:the

funeralfeastwasfree.

Sotheplatformwassetalightandpushedintothebay,whereitdriftedout

beyond the rocks. It soon collapsed in a hiss of smoke. The following

morning,EaldorSveyn’scharredcorpsewaswashedupontheshoreline.His

grandsontookitawayandburieditinthegroundsomewhere.

All of this was flashing through my head as I stood outside Earl Grey

House,lookingoutoverthebay.Itwaswarm,buttherewasaslightbreeze

comingoffthesea.

I could see the exact spot, a little way out into the bay, where Ealdor

Sveyn’s raft collapsed and sank, taking his half-burnt body with it. I could

almosthearthechantsandsadsongsthatwerebeingsungbyeverybodyon

theshore.TherewasonebyBedethatIremembered:

‘Foruhthemneidfaerae,nenigweirthit

Thonk-snotturathanhimtharfsie…’

‘Areyouallright?’ItwasSangeeta’s voice, and Iturnedround. She said it

again,‘Areyouallright?Youwereawaywiththemixerthen,Alfie!’

‘Iamsorry.Wereyousayingsomething?’

‘No.Butyou,you…weresingingsomething!Whatwasit?’

‘Nothing,Sangeeta.Sorry.’

Shelookedatme,eyesnarrowed,foramoment.Shehasdonethatalotin

thepastfewdays. ‘OK, then.Iwasaskingif you’ve everbeen toa funeral

before.’

Imuststillhavebeeninmyhalf-dreamstate.Isaid,‘Ihaveattendedfartoo

many.’

‘Ithoughtyousaidyouhadnorelatives,Alfie?Isthatbecausethey’veall

died?’ Shedidnot saythisaggressively. Wasshe tryingtocatch me out?It

feltthatway.

I was thinkingof a reply when Aunty Reet came down thesteps of Earl

GreyHouseandusheredusalongtothewaitingcar.

I will avoid a long description of the funeral, because nothing happened

untiltheend.

Therewerenotmanypeoplethere.

Therewas me,obviously, AuntyReet andSangeeta. Ihad apair of non-

jeansthatSangeetahadboughtme,andadarkpullover.

TherewasVericka,andRobbietheFireInvestigationsman.Hewinkedat

meandgaveatightlittlesmile.Thatwasniceofhim.ButIwishedtherewere

peopleIreallyknew.Friends.Ofcourse,thatwasimpossible.Ihadevenlost

mycat.

There was a reporter, too, with a camera, which she put away after

Sangeeta had a quiet word with her. I am not sure what a reporter was

expectingtosee.Probablymorepeople,Ishouldimagine.

Therewasavicar,obviously.

Afterallthewordshadbeensaid,andSangeetahadsqueezedmyshoulder

until I almost asked her to stop, and the coffin disappeared behind a red

curtainlikeanespeciallysinistermagictrick,thatwasit.Weturnedtogo,and

Isawthem.

RoxyMintoandAidanLinklater,standingatthebackofthelittlechapel.

‘Whoarethey?’murmuredSangeetaslowly.

Well,whatcouldIsay?‘Idonotknow,’wasnottrue.Norwas‘friends’,for

Icertainlydidnotthinkofthemassuch.Theyhadbetrayedme,whichisnot

what friends do. Had they not, I might already have acted upon me and

Mam’splan.

Wewerewalkingupthechapel’saisle,andwouldbelevelwiththemsoon.

‘I,erm…justgivemeamoment,willyou,Sangeeta?’

IwasleftinthechapelwithAidanandRoxy.

‘Hi,’ they both said together, in a flat tone, appropriate to the

circumstances.

‘Hello.’

‘I…’saidAidan.‘Ithought,thatis,we–Roxyandme–wethoughtwe’d

comealongand,erm…’

IshouldhavehelpedAidanouthere.Ishouldhaverecognisedthathewas

tryingtobekind,butwasstrugglingfortherightwords.Ishouldhavesaid

somethinglike,‘Thatisallright.Thankyouforcoming.’

InsteadIcockedmyheadandwaitedforhimtostumblethrough.

‘It…it’sjustthatyourmum,yourmam…well,erm…shewasallyou

had,anderm…’

Roxy had taken a breath to say something, but I turned to Aidan first.

‘Listen.Iknowyoumeanwell,butfranklyIdonot—’

Hecutmeoff.‘Alfie.Webelieveyou.’

‘Ibegyourpardon?’

Roxysaid,‘Webelieveyou,Alfie.Thethousand-yearthing.Oratleastwe

don’tdisbelieveyou.’

‘Thereisadifference?’

‘There’sloadsofstuffthatdoesn’taddup,butthere’sevidencethereifyou

look for it, at least back a few hundred years, and, if it’s true for a few

hundredyears,thenwhynotforafewhundredmore?’

Istaredatthemboth.Ifeltbreathless.IglancedoveratSangeeta,whowas

having aquiet conversation with the vicar, but still watchingme out of the

cornerofhereye,Icouldtell.

‘Thankyou,’Isaid,eventually.Therewasalongpause,andthenIsaid,‘So

whydidyoutellthepolicewhereIwas?’

AshockedlookpassedacrossAidan’sface.‘Isthatwhatyouthink?Alfie,I

didn’t. It was my little sister. Honest. She was just … she’s only seven. I

nevertoldasoul!’

Roxy,too,lookedhorrified.‘You’reourfriend,Alfie.Friendsdon’t—’

Butshewascut off,becauseatthatpointSangeetacameover,allsmiley

andfuneral-gentle.

‘Hi,’ she said to Roxy and Aidan. ‘I’m Sangeeta, Alfie’s CPO. Do you

knowoneanother?’

‘Abit,’saidAidan.

‘That’snice.HowdoyouknowAlfie?’

‘Oh,erm…through,erm…school.’

Whydidhesaythat?IhadsortofedgedbehindSangeetanow,andIwas

franticallyshakingmyheadatAidan,andatthesametimeRoxy’sdescription

ofmeasa‘friend’wasechoingroundmybrain.

DoIbelieveher?Doesshemeanit?

‘That’sstrange,’saidSangeeta,turningtome.‘Ithoughtyousaidyouwere

ahome-ed,Alfie?’

‘Notschool!’yelpedAidan,pickinguponmysignal.‘No–notschool.No.

Thatis,erm…’

Aidan was not a convincing liar, or a good actor. The panic was in his

voice.Alloverhim,actually.Youcouldpracticallysmellit.

Sangeeta, genuinely curious, I think, said, ‘Yes?’ and thank heavens for

RoxyMinto.

‘You mean schoolwork, don’t you, Aidan?’ she drawled as if to a rather

slowchild.‘YouhelpedAlfiewithhisschoolworkoccasionally.Butyouonly

visitedhimonceortwice.Maths,mainly,wasn’tit?’Aidandidnotrespond.

‘Wasn’tit,Aidan?’

‘Oh. Yes. Maths. Yes,’ Aidan intoned, nodding on each syllable. Either

Sangeetaiseasilyfooledorshedecidednottopursueitatthattime.

‘Well, that’s nice of you,’ she said. ‘Thank you for comingtoday. It was

verythoughtful.’

Walkingbacktothecar,SangeetaandIwereafewpacesaheadofAidan

andRoxy.

‘Whydidyousayyouhadnofriends,Alfie?’sheaskedquietly.

I had begun to say, ‘Because I thought it was true,’ when her mobile

telephonestartedringinginherpocketandshestopped.ThatwaswhenIsaw

athinman,withathickblackbeardandbigeyebrows,wearingalongdark

overcoat.Whenhewasaboutthirtyfeetaway,heabruptlyturnedandwalked

quicklyintheoppositedirection.

Itwasdefinitelyhim.

Sangeetawashunchedoverhertelephoneanddidnotseethis.

I looked behind: Roxy and Aidan were just coming out of the chapel,

talking to each other. I immediately worked out that the man was going to

approach me until he saw them, at which point, he had turned and hurried

awaybetweentheovergrowngravesandmossyheadstones.Secondslater,he

disappearedbehind alineof longblackhearses thatwereawaiting thenext

funeral.

Somethingstirredinsideme.Thatmemoryfromlong,longago, rising to

thesurfaceandtakingagaspofair.

Hisface,leaningintomine,andgrowling,‘Hollmunnen!’

Shutyourmouth.

Thesmellofcheese,andsealskin,andship’star.

HislongteethsnarlingatmetobequietasIcriedformyda.

ThemanfromtheboattoEngland.

Aidan’sUncleJasper.

Didyouknowasharkcandetectbloodinthewateruptofivemilesaway?I

sometimesfeelthatwaywithdanger:Icannoticethefaintesttraces.Itislike

asmell.Anaromaofsomethingfromthepast,anditwasplayinginmynose

whenIsaidtoSangeeta,‘Canwegonow?’

‘Allright,Alfie,’shesaid.‘Whataboutyourfriends?’

‘NOW.Weneedtogonow.’Ihurried,headdown,towardsSangeeta’scar

with Sangeeta trotting behind me to catch up. When I glanced back, I saw

Roxy and Aidan looking puzzled and hurt, and I wanted to go back and

explain,butIcouldnot,becauseIdidnotunderstanditproperlymyself.

IamcertainSangeetathoughtitwasdelayedgriefthathadmademehurry

offandsosheleftmealoneinmythoughtsaswedroveaway.Butitwasnot

grief.Well,notonlygrief.

ItwasJasper.

Itwasfear.

Plus the realisation that Aidan and Roxy had lied to Sangeeta. For me.

Theyhaddonethatforme.

Sangeeta had stopped the car outside Earl Grey House and was saying

something. I had not been paying attention until she took something black

fromherhandbagandputinitmyhands.

‘…It’sjustforsafety,youknow.I’veputmynumberinalready,andAunty

Reet’s.’

Amobiletelephone.Ihaveneverownedonebefore.Orevenusedone,for

thatmatter.Iturneditoverinmyhands,examiningit.

She must have thought I disapproved because she said, ‘Yeah, I know.

Sorryit’snotasmartphone,butitdoesthejob.’

Instead of asking her how to use it, which would sound odd, I thought I

wouldworkitoutmyself.

Later I lay on my bed in my room at Earl Grey House. I stared at the

ceiling.Forthefirsttimeinaweek,IthoughtaboutMamanddidnotfeelthe

holeofemptinessopeningupinsideme.InsteadIfeltacold,sickeningfear.

Jasper.

Ihaditallworkedout.HedidnotknowwhereIlived,sohehadwaitedfor

Mam’sfuneral,knowing–orhoping–thatIwouldbethere.Thenhewould

approachme.

Why, exactly, I could not figure out – but it could not be good. The

memoryofhisbeardedfacelevellingwithmineonthecreakingcargoboatall

thoseyearsagokeptcomingbackanditscaredme.

Fearhadreplacedgrief–anditwasabouttogetworse.

MamandIsurvivedbecausewestayedtogether.

It was a strangelife, indeed,but wehad eachother. Neitherof uswould

leavetheotheraloneintheworld.Yousee,therewasonlyonelivperlerleft.

Ifeitherofustookit,wewouldbeabletoliveanddieasnormal–wewould

restarttheageingprocess.But,bydoingso,wewouldabandontheother.That

wasourdreadfulreality.

Mamwouldnottakeitandletmewatchhergrowoldanddie.NorwouldI

dothattoher.Neitherofuswouldmaketheotherliveonwithouttheother.

Yet we each knew that we were not immortal. Ageless and immortal are

differentthings;sowelivedwiththeunderstandingthatonedayanaccident

mightbefalloneofusandleavetheotherstillliving.

Neither of us liked the idea of being alone, and each of us thought that

suicidewasbothterrifyingandrepellent.

Insteadwhoeverwasleftwouldimmediatelyenacttheplan:

1.Locatethesoleremaininglife-pearl.

2.Administeritstraightaway,andthereby…

3.Restarttheprocessofageing,and…

4.Beginagaintogrowup.

Itsoundssimple.Itisnot.Foronething,Ihavetogettothelife-pearl,and

thatisnotaneasythingbecauseMamandIhidit,longago,inasecret,hard-

to-reachplace.ButIamgoingtohavetodoit.

I long to grow up, to be a man. I long to be in a hurry to do something,

beforetimerunsout.Ilongforthefeelingthatlifeisprecious,thatIhaveto

cram as much as I can into every sun-drenched day and every frost-filled

night; to know that childhood is special because it does not last forever; to

have friends, like Aidan and Roxy, who will not look at me strangely, and

thenturnawayfrommewhenIfailtoagelikethem.

Inshort,Ilongtogrowolder,andifthatmeansthatonedayIwilldiethen

IwillmakesurethatIdonotwasteanymoreofmylife.

Thatiswhatmyplanis.

AssoonasIcangetthelife-pearl.

Although,forthat,Iamgoingtoneedaboat.

1250AD

We had left the monastery at Jarrow several decades before. Old Paul had

grownold,andretiredfromhispost.Hehadmadeenoughmoney–weknew

nothow–tobuyasmallfarmonwhatwecalledCockettIslandjustoffthe

coast.

Inthosedays,monasteries–oratleastsomemonasteries–wereincredibly

rich. Some of that money ended up being used to buy land and houses for

retiringmonks.

PaulaskedMamandmetojoinhim,sheashishousekeeperandmeashis

scribe:someonewhowouldwriteforhimashiseyesightwasbecomingvery

poor.HewasalsofondofBiffa,probablytheworld’sonlyNeverdeadcat.He

promisedheranendlesssupplyoftheisland’splentifulcrabs.Hewouldmash

themupfor her,becausealreadyher teeth weregetting wornlike mineand

Mam’s,andshefounditdifficulttobitethroughcrabshellslikesheusedto.

Mam and I had now been living for more than two hundred years.

ThroughoutthattimeMamhadkeptwithherthesingleremaininglife-pearl.

Itwas–is–storedinasmallclaybox,aboutthesizeofamoderncigarette

packet,surroundedwithsheep’swoolandfinesandforextraprotection.The

boxborenomarking.Thelidfittedclosely,andwassealedwithamixtureof

tallow,beeswaxandpineresin.

That boxlived with us, almost as if it were another member ofour little

family.Mamalwaysknewwhereitwas.Weseldomtravelled,but,ifwedid,

Mamwouldcarefullyunpickthesealandliftthetinysphereoutandswallow

itforsafekeeping.Itwouldreappearaboutadayorsolater,expelledinthe

mannerdictatedbynature.

Glass – in case you did not know – is extremely resistant to almost all

forms of chemical reaction, so thelittle ballwas completelyundamaged by

stomach acids and other internal processes. At the end of the journey, the

glassballwouldbecleaned,replacedintheboxwithsomesand,resealedand

buriedinaplacethatonlyMamandIknew.

Thusdidtheclayboxcontainingthelife-pearlcomewithustoOldPaul’s

farmsteadonCockettIsland.

Thechoiceofburialspotfortheclayboxwasalwayscrucial.Theground

shouldnotbetoodamp.Norshouldtheboxbeburiedtoodeeply:wehadto

beabletogetatitquicklyinanemergency.Ifwecouldnotforanyreason,if

we had to leave in a hurry, then it would need to remain undisturbed and

undiscoveredforaslongasittooktocomebackandretrieveit.

ItwasOldPaulwhosuggestedthecaveontheeasternsideoftheisland:

oneoftwocaveshighupthebeachthatweredryyear-round.Heknewabout

thepearl,andheknewweneededtokeepitsafefromthosewhomightwant

it.Thecavewasdeepanddark.Therewasacrevicebehindalargeboulderat

the back that I could squeeze my arm into. Inside the crevice, out of sight,

wasasandyledge.Ithadbeenusedinthepasttoconcealtreasuresfromthe

Vikings,itslocationpassedfromonepriortothenext.

It was perfect. Anything put there would be safe: completely hidden

foreverfromanyonewhodidnotknowofit.Theonlypeoplewhodidknow

wereme,MamandOldPaul.

We had encased the clay box in more tallow and resin and beeswax for

extraprotection.Whenithardened,itwaswrappedinroughcloth,andthisis

the package that Mam extracted from her shawl as we stood in the cave at

twilight.

Thewindhowledaroundusandtheisland’spuffins–thesquatblackbirds

withthecomicalbeaks–skiddedandswoopedintheskyaboveus.OldPaul,

almostblindbynow,intonedaprayerthathehadmadeupfortheoccasion.

‘Lord,throughwhom we mayall findeternallife…’itbegan. Hisvoice

wasquaveryandold,andtheprayerdronedon.Finally,aswewerestartingto

shiverinthecoldbreeze,hesaidsomethingthatInoticed–throughmyhalf-

closedeyes–causedMamtolookup.Shecaughtmepeeking.

‘Lord,’OldPaulwassaying.‘Bemercifultothosewhochoosetotakethe

mightypoweroflifeanddeathintotheirownhands.Ifitbeasintoprolonga

lifebeyonditsallottedspan,looknotwithangeruponthosewhodo.’

Doyouunderstand?OldPaulwasaskingGodnottopunishMamandme

forbeingNeverdeads.

Mam gave me the cloth-wrapped package and I shoved it in the space

betweentheboulderandthecavewall.

Itwassafeforever.

‘How long have you thought that? How long have you thought that the

Lordmaypunishus for …forbeingwhatwe are?’ Mam askedPaul aswe

walkedintothewindbacktothefarmhouse,withPaulholdingmyhandfor

guidance.

‘Ithastroubledmeforsometime,’hesaid.‘Isoughtclarificationfromthe

Bishopwhoguidedmeinhiswisdom.’

TherewasapauseasMamstoppedwalkingandthewindhowled.

‘YoutoldtheBishop?’MamwashorrifiedthatPaulhadbrokenourpactof

secrecy.

‘Donotworry,’Paulsaid,tryingtoreassureher.‘Isaidnothingaboutyou

orAlve.Ourdiscussionwasrestrictedtowhatmighthappenifsomeonehad

suchapower.’

‘But still,’ I said, ‘he might have thought it was a strange question. He

mighthavewondered…’

‘Fear not, young Alve,’ said Old Paul firmly. ‘The Bishop had no

suspicions. Your secret remains a secret.And the Lordwill love thosewho

loveHim.’

Iwasnotsosure.

Notlongafter,OldPauldiedandwasburiedinthegardenoftheisland’stiny

chapel,wherehisboneslietothisday.MamandI,andBiffa,stayedoninthe

farmstead.

Alittlewhileafterthat,aChurchofficialcametotelluswemustmoveout,

asanewpriestwascomingtolivethere.Thatiswhenwedecidedtoleavethe

life-pearlboxinitsplace.

‘It is safe here,’ declared Mam, as we walked down the steep and rocky

cliffpathtothecave.‘Noonewillfindit.’

Ithadbeenabouttenyearssincewehadperformedthelittleceremonyon

that windy evening with the puffins skittering overhead. Nothing had

changed.

‘Shouldwecheck?’IaskedMam.‘Youknow:thatitisstillthere?’

Shesmiledherwisesmile.‘Whywoulditnotbe?’

‘Because…’butIdriedup.Itwasimpossibleforitnottobethere.

‘SoIthinkweshouldjustleaveit,Alve.Webothknowitisthere.Weare

theonlyoneswhodo.Itcancometonoharm.Ifeeleasierinmyheartwhen

itisnotinourhome.Thisislandisnotgoinganywhere;thatstone,’shewas

pointingatthelargeboulder,‘isgoingnowhere,either.’

‘AndifoneofusshouldbecalledtotheLord–’thatiswhatMamusedto

say:insteadofdyingyouwouldbe‘calledtotheLord’–‘thentheotherwill

come straight here, administer the contents of the life-pearl and begin the

processofgrowingolder.Ifthatiswhatheorshewants,’sheadded.

Itwas athought thatfilledme withawe. That thisimmense power– the

powerbothtocreateandtoendimmortality–layinasmallclayboxburied

inadrysandstonecaveonawindyislandinNorthumbria.

Andliestherestill.Undisturbedforcenturies.

In thechildren’s home, countlessquestions jostled forposition in myhead,

demandinganswersthatIcouldnotgive.

WherehasJasperbeenforathousandyears?

Whydidheturnupnow?

Whatdidhewantfromme?

Wasitthelife-pearl?

Ithadtobe.Thatmustbewhathewasafter–hewasageless;thescarson

hisarmmadethatclear.And,likeme,hewantedtoendit.

He could not possiblyknow where it was, though.But therewas a more

frighteningpossibility.PerhapsheknewthatIknewandplannedtousemeto

gettoit.

I stared at the new school uniform hanging on the back of my bedroom

door. Sangeetasaid shewould takeme toschool tomorrow,and afterthat I

wastomakemyownway.

Makemyownway.

Makefriends.Growupwiththem.Benormal.

ExceptthatIcouldnot.NotunlessImanagedtogettothepearl–before

anyoneelse.

Thefirstdaybackatschool,andthesummertermhadalreadystarted

badly.Itwouldgetworsebytheendoftheweek.

I’d been looking forward to catching up with Spatch and Mo, but

somethinghadchanged.

Iguessithadbeenhappeningforawhilewithoutmenoticing.But

now I did. Their holidaytogether at Spatch’sgrandparents in Naples

hadmade each ofthemmuch betterfriendswith theotherthanthey

werewithme.

SpatchhadgotsuchadeeptanthathewasevenbrownerthanMo,

buthesaidtheyhadn’tbeenabletogotothebeachmuchowingtoa

sewageoverflowclosingithalfwaythroughtheholiday.

‘That’ll be why you’re so brown, then!’ I said, punching his arm

gently.

Hedidn’tgetit,andpretendedmypunchhadhurthim(whichitcan’t

havedone).‘Ow!Whatdoyoumean?’

‘Youknow–you’rebrowncosyouwentswimminginthesewage!’

Now I know it’s not the sort of joke that could be described as

‘sophisticated’,butIthoughtitwasprettyfunny,andstartedlaughing,

buttheydidn’tjoinin.SpatchrolledhiseyesatMo.

‘You’resolame,Linklater.’

That’s when I knew that, although we weren’t enemies, our

threesomehadbecomeatwosome,andtheoneleftoutwasme.

BesideswhatcouldIsayaboutmyEasterbreak?

‘Guess what happened tome over the holidays? I became friends

withRoxyMinto.She’smynext-doorneighbour.’

‘Wow,cool.’

‘Yeah, and youknow thatfire thatwas ontelly? Well,there’sakid

who escaped it and he’s called Alfie and he says he’s a thousand

yearsold.’

‘Oh,howinteresting.I’dliketomeethim.’

Instead I would be teased about whether I was in love with Roxy,

andmockedforbelieving(eventemporarily)someonewhoclaimedto

beathousandyearsold.

Asitwas,Ihadtobecontentwithtellingthestoryofthefire,andthe

firetrucks,etc.Theylikedthat,sortof.TherestofitIkepttomyself.

Ihadn’tseenAlfiesincethefuneralafewdaysbefore.Tobehonest,

hehadbeenabitweird,suddenlyhurryingoffwithoutsayinggoodbye.

Ireckonbeinghisfriendmightbeprettydifficult.(Icannotimaginehim

laughingatsewagejokes,forexample.)

Idon’tthinkhequiteunderstoodthatweweretryingtomakeupto

him,andconvincehimthatwehadnottoldthepolice.

Then,onthefirstdayback,heturnedupinafternoonassembly,at

theendoftherow,withtherestofshoutyMrSpringham’srowdyclass.

Hewastworowsinfront,andhadn’tseenme,butIhadagoodview

ofhim.

Brand-newschooluniform,haircut,andapairofthoseglasseslike

myUncleJasper’sthatgetdarkerinthesunshinebutwhichwerenow

semi-tinted.

Itdidn’tlooklikeanyonewastalkingtohim,butthatwasnormalfor

anewkid.

Bylunchtime,wordhadgotaround.

1.NewkidcalledAlfieMonk.

2.He’stheboyorphanedbythebigfireinthewoods.

3.Veryquiet.

4.Speaksstrangely,likeEnglishisn’thisnativelanguage.

5.Shockingteeth,likehe’sneverbeentothedentist.

Ididn’t seehim atbreak,or atlunchtime, even thoughI waslooking

outforhim.Itwasn’tuntilthenextdaythatourpathscrossed.

The first week of term was Local History Week. According to the

lettersentouttoparents,localhistoryistheHead’s‘lifelongpassion’

andhe’sdeterminedto shareitwith –that is, inflictit on–everyone

else.Somepeoplegettotallyexcitedaboutit.That’ssomepeoplefor

you.

ThisyearweweregoingtoTheSaxonExperience,whichtheletter

homesaidwas:

A vivid recreation of life in Anglo-Saxon times, peopled by larger-than-life characters in

authentic clothing. A unique chance to live the life led by our ancestors of more than a

thousandyearsago.

Andhere’sthestrangething:untilIreadthat,Ihadhadnoideawhat

Alfiehadbeentalkingabout.

Athousandyears?Mightaswellhavebeenamillion.ButnowIhad

what the Head, Mr Landreth, calls a ‘frame of reference’. Alfie was

fromAnglo-Saxontimes.Eventhinkingthatwasstrange.

Iwassecretlyhopingthatthetripwouldbeachancetorebuildties

withMoandSpatch,but,afterjustoneday,Mowasoffsick.(Hewas

skiving,I’mcertain.Hejustneedstocoughandhismumkeepshimat

home.)Worse,Spatchwasonreportfor‘persistentnon-completionof

homework’andwasbannedfromthetrip.He’dbespendingthedayin

MrsSpetrow’soffice,finishinghisbiologyprojectfromlastterm.

Therewereaboutahundredkids–allofYearSeven,moreorless–

waitingintheschoolplaygroundbeforegettingonthecoachesforThe

SaxonExperience,anditwasprettynoisy.

Ifelt apoke inmy back. Itwas Roxy, andnext toherwas Alfie,a

nervous,gappysmileonhisface.

‘LookwhoI’vefound,’shesaid.

Before I could say anything, Mr Springham popped up next to us

andsaidneedlesslyloudly:

‘YOUTHREE.COACHONE,SEATS18,19,20,GO!’

Allocatedseats?Ohgreat.

Itwasan houronthe coachtoTheSaxon Experience.An hourin

whichIdiscovered:

1.ThatAlfiewaslivinginachildren’shomeinCulvercot.

2.Itwasverystrictandhadimposedacurfewonhim:inby9pm.

3.Sangeetaandthecouncilweretryingtofindhimafosterfamily,

butthesethingstaketime,apparently.

AndhekeptaskingaboutJasper.Imean–morethanonce.Atfirst,it

wasn’t weird. It was just, ‘How’s your Uncle Jasper?’ which sort of

surprisedmeabitbecause,ifI’dmentionedhimatall,ithadonlybeen

inpassing.

‘He’s,erm…fine.Iguess.Why?’

‘Oh,noreason.Iwasjustasking.’

Alfie’s tone was unconvincingly casual, so I asked, ‘Have you met

himbeforeorsomething?’

‘No.Neverinmylife.Nevermethim,no.Notatall.’

Hm.Toomanydenialsthere,Ithought.Onceagain,abadliarspots

abadlie.DidthishavesomethingtodowithJasper’soddbehaviour

thedayAlfiewasfound?ButIthoughtI’dletitgo.

Then,afewminuteslater,hesaid:‘Howdidhemeetyouraunt?’

‘Who?Jasper?Blimey,Alfie–online,Ithink.Why?What’sittoyou?’

‘Nothing,Aidan.Justsmalltalk.’

AndthereweleftitbecausetheGlassesIncidenthappened.

InigoDelombra wassitting behindus, andhe issomeone youjust

steer clear of. He’s not exactly a bully because – as Mo discovered

onceinprimaryschool–he’llbackrightoffifyoustanduptohim.The

problemishe’salreadyastallasthewomenteachers(andMrGreen)

and weighs about eighty kilos, easy. He’s huge, in other words, and

standinguptohimtakescourage.

SowhenInigostuckhisheadoverthebackofourseatsandsaid,

‘Hello,newboy!’Isensedtrouble.

RoxyandAlfiewereseatedtogether.Iwasacrosstheaisle.Icould

seeInigoDelombra’sposseofsupporters(alltwoofthem)chortlingat

whatmightcomenext.

‘WannaHaribo?’Inigosaid,lookingdirectlyatAlfie.

‘Awhat?’saidAlfie.

‘AHaribo.’

‘Whatisoneofthose?’

Ohno.

Inigogrinnedathissneeringfollowers.‘Newkiddoesn’tknowwhat

Haribos are!’ Turning back to him, he said, ‘Here! Have one.’ He

showedhimapacketofsweets.Alfielookeddubious.

‘Go on! Have one! Have two! I’ve got another packet. Where you

fromthen?’

‘Iwas,well,myfatherwasfromGotland,butthenhelivedin,erm…

he…heissortofDanish.’ThefearwaswrittenalloverAlfie’sface.

‘Oh!Soyou’refrom,erm…Danishland.Pastries,yeah?Ilove’em!

That’ll be why you talk funny, eh? Anyway let’s have a look at your

specsthen?’

‘Myspectacles?’

‘Yeah!Yourgogs,specs,bins–goon!’Hereachedoutandplucked

themfromAlfie’snose.Roxyhadbeenquietuptothispoint,butnow

shepipedup:‘Hey.Giveitarest.’

‘Oh,LittleGirlspeaks,doesshe?’Inigoleantinclose.‘Shutit,squirt,

ortherestofyourtermisgonnabeH.E.double-L.Nowwhatabout

thesespecs,eh?Theyarecool.Let’sseeiftheygodarker.’

Hehadputthemonandwasstaringoutofthewindow.

‘Wow! They do. Here, Jonesy: check these out.’ He passed them

back to hispal, who held them up to the light, andput them on and

thenpassedthemtosomeoneelse,andthensomeoneelse.

Oneboysaid,‘Wherearethesefrom?Aretheyunbreakable?’

IglancedacrossatAlfie,andthepainedexpressiononhisfacewas

unbearable.

Igotoutofmyseatandmademywaytothebackofthecoach.By

now,theglasseshadbecomejustathingtobepassedaround.Halfof

the peopleat the back had no real idea where they’d come from, or

thatthey’dbeenstolenfromAlfie.Itwascomparativelyeasyformeto

say,

‘Here!Letmehaveago!’Ihadtosayitacoupleoftimes,butthen

they arrived in my hand. I put them on, posed, smiled and headed

straightbacktomyseat.

‘Oi! Bring them back!’ shouted Inigo. ‘Linklater, you’re dead! And

you,Danishboy!’

Itwasonlyasmallvictorybutmyheartwasthumping.

I was back in my seat when Mr Springham got out of his, and

belloweddownthecoach:

‘QUIET! I SAID QUIET! DELOMBRA – WHAT ARE YOU DOING

OUTOFYOURSEAT?GETBACKATONCE!YOU’READISGRACE,

THELOTOFYOU!SITDOWNANDEITHERREADORPLAYSOME

BRAIN-ROTTINGGAMEONYOURPHONES!IDON’TCARE,BUTI

WANTSILENCEUNTILWEGETTHERE.ISTHATUNDERSTOOD?’

Therewas amurmuringof ‘Yes, sirs’during whichI handed Alfie’s

glasses back to himacross the aisle. If that didn’t convince himthat

ourofferoffriendshipwassincerethennothingwould.

‘Thank you,’ he whispered but he knew what had just happened.

You don’t live as long as he has without knowing that making an

enemyofInigoDelombraisabadidea.

Hewasabouttofindoutjusthowbad.

I’llsaythisforTheSaxonExperience:theytriedtheirhardesttomake

thingsinteresting.

Theproblemwasthekindofthingtheythoughtabunchofkidsfrom

Percy Ack would find interesting. Everything was aimed at six-year-

olds,withsignsinbrightcoloursfeaturingcartoonfiguresandspeech

balloonssayingthingslike:

Canyouspotthebiggesthouse?

Howmanyanimalsareinthispicture?

Thatsortofthing.

Alfie, Roxy and I ended up together in one group. There was a

visitorcentre,acaféandtheeducationroom,whereamandressedin

Saxon clothes gave us a welcome talk. Mr Springham only had to

shoutatusoncetoQUIETENDOWN!

‘Greetingsandsalutations,childrenofthetwenty-firstcentury!’said

themanintheold-fashionedclothes.‘MynameisEckfrithandIowna

smallfarmonthebanksoftheTyne…’andsoon.

Allthe waythrough, Alfiekept quietlytutting andshaking hishead

slightly.Ithoughtnobodyhadnoticedapartfromme,butthemanwho

was giving the talk had obviously seen it as well, and suddenly

stopped.

‘Aha!Iseewehaveadisbelieveramongus!’hesaidsortofgood-

naturedly. ‘Tell me, young man – what is wrong? What makes you

thinkIamnotagenuineAnglo-Saxonfarmer?’

Withoutmissingabeat,Alfiesaid,‘Youaretooclean,’andtheclass

eruptedinlaughter.Themandidn’tseemtomind.

‘Well,youngman,you’reprobablyright.Soapwasveryexpensivein

thosedays!’

‘Practicallynon-existent,youmean?Andnoonesaid‘salutations’–

thatisaFrenchwordthatwasnotcommonuntillongafter1066,’said

Alfie.

‘Well,erm…’Themanwasfloundering.

‘Alsoyourtunicwouldnotbered.’

Themanlookeddownathissimplecottonovershirt.Hewasclearly

alittlesurprised.

‘Ah,really?’

‘No.Unlessyouwereaverywealthyfarmer,youwouldnotbeable

toaffordaredtunic.Redwasaveryexpensivedye.’

‘Ah,well,’saidtheman,grinning.‘ThenIamanexceedinglywealthy

farmer!’

‘Sowhyareyouwearingapoorman’sboots?’

More laughter from the class until Mr Springham shouted,

‘ENOUGH!’andgavetheevileyetoAlfie,whoshutup.

Behindus,IheardInigoDelombramutter,‘Thinkyou’reclever,don’t

you?’

Thenudgesand gigglescontinued,thoughmuchquieter.Alfie had

gothimselfnoticed,that’sforsure.Whetherthatwasagoodthingor

not,Icouldn’ttell.

Butitwasnothingtowhatcamenext.

Whatcamenextwasthe‘authenticreproductionAnglo-Saxonvillage’,

which was a collection of round huts with thatched roofs, and Alfie

started sneering even at the sign. It was like being with a grumpy

adult.

‘How can it be authentic and a reproduction?’ he said. ‘It is either

oneortheother.’

Roxywashumouringhim.‘Stopit,Alfie.You’llloveit.It’llbejustlike

whenyouwere,erm…younger.’

Lookinground,Isawthatwehadlosttherestofourgroup.

‘GreatScott,’Alfiesaid.‘Whobuiltthese?Anarmyofdwarves?’We

crouchedtogothroughthedoorway.

‘Ithink they were smaller thanus backthen,’Roxy saidby wayof

explanation.

‘Onlyabit,’saidAlfie.Helookedatthehut’sfireplaceandthenupat

the roof. ‘Where isall the smokegoing togo? There isnot a smoke

hole.Peoplewouldchoke.’

‘Allright,’Isaid,abitirritatedbyhisknow-allattitude.‘It’sprobably

just amistake. Look.’I pointed outof the window slitat the next hut

along.‘Thatonehasasmokehole.There’ssmokecomingoutofit.’

Helookedandhumphedinreluctantagreement,beforeturninghis

attentionbacktothehearth,whichwasaringofstones.‘Thereisnot

even a proper fireplace. Most homes had one, built up to about this

high,atleast.’Heheldhishandlevelwithhisknee.

‘Whatwasthepointofthat?’

‘I do not know,’ he said, irritated. ‘They just did. Only the poorest

peoplewouldnothaveonebecauseyouhadtobuythestones,butthe

poorestpeopledidnotliveinhouseslikethese.’

‘They’dbuystones?Butstonesarefree.’

‘Theyarenotjustanystones.Ifyougetastonefromthebeachora

river,itmightcrackapartundertheheatandexplode.Youdonotwant

thathappeningwhenyouarehuddledroundthefireforwarmthinthe

winter. You wantgranite orlimestone, andthatmeans payingfor itif

youdonotlivenearany.Andasforthat–’wewereoutsidenowand

hewaspointingtoanotherfireplace,nexttothehut–‘itismuchtoo

closetothat.’Hepointedatthestrawandtwigroof.‘Itcouldgoupat

anytime.Noonewouldputafirethere.InfactIamgoingtotellthem.’

He marched off in the direction of the man in the Saxon costume

whohadspokentousbefore.

‘No, Alfie. No!’ Roxy said. I was curled up with embarrassment

inside.Heturnedandstaredatusbothintensely.

‘Why ever not? Not only is it historically inaccurate, it poses a

significantdangerrightnow.’

I couldn’t bear to watch. He was like one of those busybody old

ladies who’ll tell off a young policeman if his shoes aren’t shiny

enough. Roxy and I peered out from behind what seemed (tome) a

veryauthentic-lookingwheeledcartasAlfiestrodeuptotheguideand

tappedhimontheshoulder,whilehewastalkingtoagroupofpeople

wholookedliketheywerefromChinaorsomewhere.

Alfie pointed. The guy looked over, then looked down at Alfie and

shook his head, making a ‘go away’ gesture with his hand before

returning his attention to the group. So Alfie tugged his sleeve. The

man was annoyed, I could tell, but Alfie didn’t care and I sort of

admiredhimforthat.Thegroupofpeoplebegantowanderoffandthis

annoyedthemanevenmore,sowithafuriousexpressionhefollowed

AlfietothefireandIoverheardpartoftheirconversation.

‘…significantincendiaryrisk…extinguished…’

‘…I’llgoandspeaktomysupervisor…’

TheguyintheSaxontunicwanderedoffinthedirectionofthevisitor

centre.Justthen,InigoDelombraandoneofhishangers-onappeared

fromroundacorner,eachholdingabundleoftwigs.

‘Goon,lads,’saidInigo,‘hoyiton!’and,beforewecouldstopthem,

theyeachchuckedtheirarmfulsontothefire,whichinstantlyburstinto

life.‘Hey,that’smintthatis!Iloveamassivefire,me!Whoa!’

Thefirehadgoneupalarminglyandwasbynowdangerouslyhigh.

When the smoke had cleared, Inigo Delombra and his pals were

nowheretobeseen.

‘Lookatthat,’Alfiesaid.‘Onestrayspark,andthatwholeroofwillgo

up.Itisasdryas…as…’

‘Adrystrawroof?’saidRoxy,withastraightface.

‘Yes. And it will spread to the others. I do not suppose you have

seenawholevillageburn?’

‘No,Alfie,’Isaid.‘Surprisingasitmayseem,Ihaven’t.Haveyou?’

ThewordswereoutofmymouthaninstantbeforeIrealisedwhatI’d

said.Alfie–whosawhisownhouseburndownonlyweeksearlier–

knew more than anyone the true horror of a fire, and I started to

apologise.

‘Hey,thatcameoutwrong…’

But he had gone, reappearing a few seconds later with a wooden

bucket.

‘Haveyouseenatapanywhere?’heasked,theurgencyinhisvoice

clear.

‘There’llbeoneatthevisitorcentre,orinthecafé.’

‘Toofar.Thereisonlyonethingforit.’

Bynow,theflameswerereallyquitehigh.Alfiehadhisbacktome,

but I could see he was fiddling with his trouser flies. He turned his

headandcalledtomeoverhisshoulder.

‘Come on! What are you waiting for? We have got to put it out

somehow!’

‘Alfie,you’remental!It’samuseum.Youcan’tjust…peealloverthe

exhibits.’

‘Iftheywanttohaveanyexhibitsleft,thenitismyduty.Yourstoo,

Aidan.Comeon.Roxy,youareexcused.’

Hehadalreadystarted.Therewasanoisyhissingandavastcloud

ofyellow-greysmokestartedtorisefromthefireplace.

‘Come on!’ he shouted over the noise of the hissing fire. ‘I do not

haveenoughurineinme.Iwentafterlunch.’

Ihadnotbeenafterlunch.InfactI’dbeenhalf-heartedlylookingfor

thetoiletsforawhile,so,whenIfinallystarted,Ireleasedmybladder

inablissfulgush.Thesmokeandsteamdoubledandrosehighabove

thetopsofthehuts.

Alfie hadfinished and done up his flieswhen we heardthe guy in

thetunicshout,‘Oi!Whatthehellareyoudoing?’

‘Run!’saidAlfie.

I was mid-stream at that point, in a really big wee that I couldn’t

possiblystop.

‘I can’t!’ I wailed, but he was off already and the guy was getting

closer.

‘Youlittletoerag!’hebellowed.

ThegroupofChinesetouristshadreturnedandatleasttwoofthem

weretakingphotosofmeinacloudofwee-smokeatthefireplace,and

stillitkeptcoming,makingmecursetheextra-largeCokeI’ddrunk.

Therewasonlyonethingforit.WithalltheeffortIcouldsummon,I

managedtoslow thestreamso Icouldtuck everythingbackintomy

pants,andIstartedtorun,peedribblingdownmytrouserleg.Theonly

way I could get away from the Saxon guy was to push through the

group of tourists, but, as soon as I got near, they parted for me,

probably because they didn’t want to get wee on them, and that’s

whenItripped.

Istumbledforward,halfturnedandlandedonmybackinapuddle.

My flies were open, everything was hanging out (if you see what I

mean) and I was still weeing, watched by a group of astonished

Chinesetouristsand,acoupleofsecondslater,byamandressedina

woollentunicandfakechainmail.

‘Right,you,’hesaid,throwingdownhisplasticaxeandgrabbingme

bythearm.‘Comewithme.’

Acameraflashed,andmyhumiliationwascomplete.

Alfie and I were in trouble, although, owing to Alfie being a new kid,

andwhathadhappenedtohimrecently,theteacherswereinclinedto

goeasyonhimand,luckilyforme,Ithinktheysawtheunfairnessof

beinggentlewithAlfieandtoughwithme.Webothgotofffairlylightly.

Of course, no one believed us when we said we’d been trying to

stoptheroofcatchingfire,andIdidn’tsayanythingaboutInigoandhis

palsfuellingtheflames,becausejustabouttheworstthingyoucando

atschoolistosnitch.Alfieseemedtoknowthatbecausehekeptquiet

about that part too. Roxy, very wisely, pretended she hadn’t seen a

thing.

Wesuckedup thetelling-off,andbeing senttositin thecoachfor

therestofthetrip.TherewastalkofavisittotheHead,andaletter

home, and Alfie’s social worker being told and all of that, but it was

obvioustheywerejustthreats.

‘I simply do not understand you,’ said Mr Springham, for once

strangely quiet (which made it even more menacing). ‘Were you

showingoff?Didyouthinkitwasfunny?’

IhungmyheadtodisplayasorrowthatIjustdidnotfeel.‘No,sir.’

‘No,sir,’Alfierepeated.

‘Exactly,’saidMrSpringham.

‘Although we did avert a fire which might have caused significant

damagetopropertyandpeople,’saidAlfie.

MrSpringhamcontrolledhimself,anditwassuchaneffortitturned

himaweirdsortofpurplecolour.

Going to school is exhausting. It is also one of the most exhilarating

experiencesofmylonglife.

I have never been to one before. Not a school like a twenty-first-century

school,anyway.

Ihavebeentomany‘schools’,whereIhavelearntmanythings.

Butahugebuildingcontainingmorethanathousandchildren,alllearning

thesamethings,whichtheydonothavetopaytoattend?No.

By the time it became the law to send your children to school (I have

lookeditup–itwas1880),Ihadbeenreadingandwritingforcenturies.

Atfirst,compulsoryeducationwasforchildrenuptotenyearsold,so–as

aboylivingasaneleven-year-old–Ididnothavetogo.Thentheagewas

raisedtoeleven,thentwelve,but,solongasyoucouldprovethatyoucould

readandwriteandsoon,youstilldidnothavetoattend.

By1918,theyeartheGreatWarended,theeducationagewasagainraised,

tofourteen.Thatiswhenthingsstartedtogetdifficult,andMamandIhadto

begindeceiving theauthorities aboutmy age, and why Iwas notat school.

We became very good at it, always helped by the fact that I was quite

obviouslywelleducated.

And now I find myself at Sir Henry Percy Academy, or ‘Percy Ack’ as

everybody–theteachersincluded–referstoit.

Theotherchildrenareloudandlively.Theyarecheekytotheteachers,and

theteachersdonotseemtomind,althoughthereisonewhoshoutsalot.The

pupilsoftenlookatmesuspiciously,butnobodyisactuallyunkind,nottomy

face. Except, that is, for one boy called Inigo Delombra who seems to eat

sweetsallthetime.Hepassedaroundmyglasses,andheimitatesmywayof

speaking.Hepretendsitiswhathecalls‘banter’,butitisnot.

And thenthere are Aidan Linklater andRoxy Minto, myfriends. It feels

goodtobeabletosaythat.

It is all keeping my mind off Aidan’s Uncle Jasper. I have not seen him

again,andIambeginningtothinkIimagineditall.Itispossible.Ihavebeen

inastrangestateofmind.

Atschool, weare givenbooks for free.Can youbelieve that? Thereis a

librarywhereyoucanhaveanybookandsomeofthestoriesarewonderful.

Everybodyisgivenamealatmidday.Somechildrengotoa‘BreakfastClub’

wheretheyaregivenfreefood.Imagine!

IamnotintheBreakfastClub.InsteadIgetbreakfastatEarlGreyHouse.

The other children all eat ‘breakfast cereal’ from different colourful boxes.

Theytipitintoabowl,andthenpourmilkalloveritandeatitwithaspoon.

(Youprobablyknowthisalready,butIamjustsayingincaseyoudonot.)

Thebreakfastcerealstastetoosweettome,soAuntyReetnormallymakes

meeggs.

SangeetatookmeinonthefirstMonday.Sheparkedthecaroppositethe

school while other children mingled on the pavement, and looked at me

closely.

‘YouOKwiththis,Alfie?’shesaid.‘It’sprettysoonaftereverything.’

Foramoment,IhadadreadfulfearthatshewasabouttosaythatIshould

notgo.ThatIwasnotready,orsomething.Foryearsandyears,Ihaveseen

childrengoingtoschoolintheiruniforms,laughingandshouting.Surelyshe

wouldnotstopme?

‘Itisthelaw,isitnot?Ihavetoattendschoolregularly,’Isaid.

Shegaveahalf-smile.‘Well,yeah.Butyouknow…we’renot…thatis,it

couldwait.Abit.’

‘WhatelsewouldIdo?’

She sighed through her nose and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. ‘I

know.Look,Alfie…’

‘Yes,Sangeeta?’

‘Isthereanythingyou’renottellingme?I’mjustworriedthat…’

‘No,Sangeeta.Iwillbefine.Thankyouforthedrive.’

‘Thelift,Alfie.It’scalledalift.’

‘Thelift.’

WhenIglancedback,shewaswatchingmego,bitingherbottomlip.She

knewsomethingwasup.

But that was a problem for later. I was about to learn something much

worseandmuchmoreimmediate.

Thetimetoenacttheplanwasabouttorunout.

I’m not sure I have ever seen anyone actually turn white before. It’s

oneofthosethingsthatpeoplesay,isn’tit?Like,‘Inearlydied’,or‘I

wetmyselflaughing’(althoughthatdidhappentoValerieKingonce,in

YearFour).

Butgenerallynobodyreallyturnswhite.ExceptAlfieMonkduringa

talkatschoolforLocalHistoryMonth.

He’spaletobeginwithisAlfie,andwithallthesunshinewe’vebeen

havinglatelyhe’sevengotabitsunburnt,butthiswassomethingelse.

The lady giving the talk said something, Alfie gasped and, when I

lookedacrossathim,thecolourhaddisappearedfromhischeeks.It

washorrible.Hewaswhitish-greyandhismouthstartedmovingasif

hewassayingsomething,buttherewasnonoise.

Whathappenedwasthis.

Itwas awarm afternoonand theschool assemblyhall wasbaking

hot,anditstillsmeltofschooldinners.Everybodywasabitrestless,

and nobody was all that keen on listening to someone give a talk

called:North-easternArchaeology:FromYesterdaytoTomorrow!

(It was the exclamation mark that did it: a sad attempt at

cheeriness.)

Mr Springham announced the speaker, Dr Susannah Heinz, and I

immediately swung my head round to look for Roxy. Had she

recognisedher?Roxygrinnedback.

ItwasSuefromourstreet.SueofSueandPruthecatladies!She

wasn’t wearing her huge sweater and jeans, but a sensible trouser

suit.

Evenbeforethetalkhadstarted,MrSpringhamhadalreadyhadto

shout‘BEQUIET!’twiceandmakeInigoDelombraswapplacessohe

could keep an eye on him. Worse, the blinds were down so that Dr

Heinz could show us some slides and she had a quiet, reedy voice

withthatstrongforeignaccent.

Ifeltsorryforher,really.Shelookedasthoughshe’dbeasweetold

aunty.

Worst of all – for her – was that she was nervous, and it was

obvious.ItwaslikeYearSevenwasawilddogthatcouldsmellfear.

‘Hello,children,’shebegan,andIthought,Badstart.

‘Whocantellmevotanarchaeologistis?’sheasked.

‘A boring old fart,’ said Inigo Delombra, not quite quietly enough. I

swearDrHeinzheard,andIfeltawfulforher.Nohandswentup.

‘Vell, er… erm… archaeologyis… isthe studyofhuman history

throughtheexcavationofthesingsvehaveleftbehind.Thesecanbe

singszataredugup,orsometimesruinedbuildingsandmonuments.

InfactIoftensaytomyfriendPrudencethatI’llneverberichbecause

mycareerisinruins!’

Shegrinnedandwaitedinvainforalaugh.Instead120blankfaces

stared back at her. Five seconds later, Alfie said, ‘Ruins! Ha!’ and

everyoneturnedtolookathim.

Awkward.

Alfie was definitely the only person in the whole room who was

interested.Heleantforwardin hisseat,hangingonDr Heinz’severy

wordasshewentonandonaboutdiggingupstuff.

Sheshowedusatrowel.Woo-hoo.Andapaintbrushthatshesaid

wasusedtobrushdirtoffstuff.

Andthentheslides.Endlessslides.AndstillAlfiedidn’tgetbored.

‘SoherewehaveasitezatIhelpedtoexcavatebackin1990,inze

villageofSaxton,nearTowton,vichisaboutninetymilesfromhere,so

notwerrylocal.’

ItwasapictureofanotherholeinthegroundsofarasIcouldsee,

andnexttoitwasagrinningyoungDrHeinzwiththickglasses.

‘AndwhocantellmevothappenedinTowton?’

Alfie’shand–alone–shotup.‘TheBattleofTowton!’heyelled.

‘Indeed–sankyou.TheBattleofTowton.Itisoftencalledzemost

deadly battle in British history, vere upwards of twenty-five sousand

menaresaidtohavediedinasingleday,althoughmypersonalbelief

isthatzisisavildexaggeration…’

‘Excuseme?’Alfie’shandhadgoneupagain.

‘Yes?’

‘Itwasmorelikefortytofiftythousandpeople.Itwashuge.’People

turnedtolookatthekidwhowasdaringtocontradicttheexpert.

But he had learnt his lesson from the day before at The Saxon

Experience,and now he began to retreat.‘That is, erm… so I have

heard.’

‘Well,zevariousrecordsarenotinagreement,butIknowvotIsink,’

saidDrHeinz,withanairoffinality.

‘AndIknowwhatIsaw,’saidAlfie.Peoplehadstartedtochortle,so

headded,‘Ontelevisiononce.’ItpromptedMrSpringhamtostandup.

‘That’senough,AlfieMonk!Pipedownandshowsomerespect!’

Alfieblushedbrightred,whichwasacontrasttohiscolouronlytwo

minuteslater.

ItwasnearlyattheendofthetalkandDrHeinzsaid,‘Andfinally…’

promptingarelieved‘Yessss!’fromafewpeoplewhichshemusthave

heard.

‘After all zis, you’re probably wondering vot next for north-eastern

archaeology?Vell,letmetellyoubrieflyaboutourprojectonCoquet

Islandwerrynearhere.’

At that, Alfie – who had shrunk into his seat a bit thanks to his

telling-offfromMrSpringham–satboltuprightasthoughhischairwas

electrified. Another picture popped up on the PowerPoint, of a little

squarelighthouse,andsomesurroundingbuildings,paintedwhitewith

crenellatedwalls,likeacartooncastle.

‘Zis,children,iszelighthouseonCoquetIsland,butitisbelievedto

be builton ze site ofa medieval chapel. Backthen, it vas knownas

CockettIsland…’

Iactuallyyawned.IfthiswasinterestingtoAlfie,itwasn’ttome.On

shewentforaminuteorso.

‘…villbecommencingourdigzissummer,excavatinganareafrom

heretohere…’Shewaspointingatamapnow.‘Veexpecttounearth

artefactsfromearlyinhabitantsoftheislandandperhapseven…’she

pausedforeffect,thenadded,inaspookyvoice,‘…askeletonortwo!’

Nobodyreacted.Wewerepastcaring.IglancedacrossatAlfieand

that’s when I saw that he’d turned pale. Was it the mention of

skeletons?Imean,hewasstillmourninghismum:thismayhavebeen

tooclosetohome.

ItwaswhatshesaidnextthatpromptedAlfie’sbiggestreaction.

‘…beforeallzat,though,Ivillbeconductingapersonalexcavation

ofsomecavesbeneaththemainsite.Itvasnotunknownforcavesto

beusedforhidingtreasures,andafterallthevordsexcavateandcave

arebothderivedfromzeLatincavare…’

Withaloudscrapingofhischair,Alfiegottohisfeetandstumbledto

the door. Once again, everyone turned to look. I saw Mr Springham

drawabreathtoshoutathim,butAlfiegotinfirst.‘Sorry,sir.Idonot

feelwell.’

Without waiting for a response, he pushed open the hall door and

wentout.IfollowedhimasMrSpringhamsaidtome,‘Goandcheck

he’sallright.’

Hewasn’tallright.Nowherenearallright.

NothingcouldhavepreparedmeforwhatIlearntintheschoolhallthatday.

Ihadbeenstrugglingtohearthearchaeologistovertheconstantfidgeting

andmurmuring.Iunderstandwhypeoplemightnotbeinterested,reallyIdo.

Butthepoorwomanwasbeingignored.

IsupposeIdidnothelpwithmyinterjectionabouttheBattleofTowton.I

wantedtotellher,‘Isawitwithmyowneyes!Fieldafterfieldofunburied

corpses and bloodstained snow, memories that come back to me in dreams

evennow…’

ButofcourseIcouldnot,andIstoppedmyself.

Then she showed the picture of Cockett Island (now called Coquet,

rhyming with‘poke-it’, though I have no idea why) and I felt a lurch deep

insideme,aquickeningofmyheart.

In the twenty-first century, nowhere is secret. Coquet Island is a bird

sanctuary, Dr Heinz had said, and people cannot normally go there in case

theydisturbthepuffinsandotherseabirds.

Butnowmorepeoplewillbevisiting,anddiggingandexcavating.

SomebodymayfindtheskeletonofOldPaul,andtheywillsaythingslike

‘… believed to be a man in his seventies … bone samples sent for DNA

testing…possiblyafarmer…’

AndIwillbeshouting,‘No!ItisOldPaul,theprior!Hewaslikeafather

tome!Hewaseighty-two,whichthenwaslikeahundredandtwentynow!’

Itwasnot,however,theskeletonthatconcernedmemost.

Buried deep in the dry cave was the only possibility that I might ever

escapefromtheprisonofmydeathlesslife.

Icanimaginethereportsonthewireless:‘Amysteriousartefactofglass…

appears to have been buried on purpose … radiocarbon dating … expert

analysts…’

By the time Aidan came out to check I was all right, I was shaking and

sweating,butIknewwhatImustdo.Ipushedmywaythroughthecrowdof

studentsastheycameout.

‘Alfie!Whattheheck?’calledAidanbuthedidnotfollowme.

The archaeologist was still there at the front, packing up her trowel and

things,andherlittlecomputer.

‘DrHeinz!Imustaskyousomething!’

Shelookedup,surprised,andsmiled.‘Ach,hallo,youngman.OurBattle

ofTowtonexpert,Isee.’Shewasbeingfriendly,whichIwasgladabout.

‘Yes,butyourexcavationofCockettIsland.Whendoesitstart?’Isounded

tooeager,toodesperate,butIcouldnothelpit.

‘Vell,letmesee,’shesaid,takingoutamobiletelephoneandtappingita

couple of times. ‘Ze main dig is not due to start for anozzer month or so,

althoughIhavebeenonsitealready,settingupsomeinitial—’

‘Yes,yes,whataboutthecave?’

‘Goodness me, young man! Aren’t you ensusiastic? It is so nice to meet

someonevithakeeninterestinarchaeologicalpursuits.Iremember—’

‘Whataboutthecave?’Iwasbeingrude,Icouldtell,butIwaspanicking.

‘Imean,thatis…whatareyoulookingfor?’

Dr Heinz stopped her packing and came round to sit on the edge of the

table.Shepushedherglassesuphernoseandleantinclose.Shelookedatme

sointenselythatIfeltmyselfshrinkingback.

‘Zereisa legend. Zereare referencesto itall overEurope, althoughit is

werrylittleexplored.Alegendofaraceofpeoplewhowereimmortal.Zey

were known by different names. Over-death is one: they had “overcome

death”,doyousee?’

Inodded.Mymouthwasdry,myhearthammering.

‘Somesayzislegendgaverisetozestoriesofvampires:nocturnalbeings

whoneverdied. Zereareatleasttworeferencesto aplacecalledKarparty,

meaningtheCarpathianMountainsinRomania;zat,ofcourse,is where the

storyofCountDraculaarose.Oh,I’msorry:youlookscared!’

‘No,no–goon!’

‘Anyhow there is a mention in an ancient document by a medieval

Northumbrian Bishop, Walter. It is in ze British Museum now, but my

interpretationiszatzeremaybeartefactsassociatedwithzelegendburiedor

hidden on Coquet. Perhaps it was a semi-religious cult. Bishop Walter was

unclear. Or perhaps …’Andhereshe paused and winkedatme, ‘Perhaps it

vasalltrue!Whatdoyousink,youngman?’

I was speechless. Literally speechless. I managed to stammer, ‘Th-thank

you,’andwalkedinadreamlikestateoutofthehallintothesunshine,whereI

shadedmyeyesuntilmyglasseshadadjustedtheirdarkness.

Amonth,shehadsaid.Thatwaslongenoughtoworksomethingout,Itold

myself.

HowwrongcouldIhavebeen?

Isawhimthatnight.

In front of Earl Grey House, across the seafront road, are benches

overlookingthebay,andhewasthere:Jasper.

Itwaslate,about10pm,andquitedark.Thestreetlampcastalittlepoolof

lightthatnearlyreachedthebenches,andhesat,hunchedover,occasionally

castingaglanceatmywindow.

Well,itseemedlikethat,buthecannothaveknownwhichwasmyroom,

andmyblindswereclosedsohecouldnotseeme.Iwasscared,though,and

therewasnothingIcoulddoaboutit.

Icould,Isuppose,tellAidan.‘Aidan,yourUncleJasperisstalkingme.’I

didnotthinkthatwouldbewellreceived.

IcouldtellAuntyReet,orSangeeta.‘Thereisamanonabenchoutside.’

Itishardlyacrime,isit,sittingonabenchintheevening?

Ikeptlooking,keepingmylightoff,carefullyopeningmyblinds.OnceI

sawhimgetupandcrosstheroadandIthoughthewascomingtoknockon

thedoor,buthedidnot.Insteadhewalkeddownthestreetandgotintohiscar

anddroveaway.

Ifeltsick.Ihardlyslept.Butatleastitansweredonequestion.Iknewnow

thatIwasnotimaginingit.Jasperwaswatchingme,followingme.

Sometimesknowingtheworstcanbearelief.

Alfiewasactingweird.Allthatstuffduringthearchaeologytalk?Ifhe

wastryingtokeepalowprofile,hewasgoingaboutitthewrongway.I

wouldhavetotellhim.

As for me, when I got home, my heart did this little dance when I

sawAuntyAliceandJasper’scarparkedoutsideourhouse.

I’malways happytoseeAunty Alice,quiteapart fromthefactthat

shenearlyalwaysbringsherhome-madeflapjacks.I’mlesshappyto

seeJasper,especiallyafterthestrangeboattrip.

As soon as I walkedin the door, though, I couldsense something

waswrong.AuntyAlicewassittinginthekitchen,andgavemeahug

asusualand,asusual,shesmeltoflaundryandJuicyFruitchewing

gum, but her eyes werered and she tried to turn her head so that I

wouldn’tsee.

Ihatethinkingaboutgrown-uppeoplecrying.Itdoesn’tseemright.

Mum ushered me out of the kitchen before I’d even got my jacket

off.Inthehallway,shesaid:‘Youneedtogonextdoorforyourtea.’

‘ToRoxy’s?Buthermum…’

‘Hermum’sOK.Libby’salreadythere.It’syourAuntyAlice,she’s…’

‘What’swrong?’Iwasreallyworried.

‘It’sJasper.He’skickedherout.’

‘Kickedherout?Youmean,like…she’smovedoutoftheirhouse?’

‘Well,yes…butnotbychoice.Hechangedthelocksonthedoors

andtoldherhenolongerwantedtolivewithher.’

Iwasstunnedbythis.‘But…butthey’remarried.’

‘Thatdoesn’tmatter.Forthetimebeing,yourAuntyAliceisgoingto

bewithus.Rightnow,though,weneedalittletimealonesoyouhave

togonextdoor.MrsMinto’sexpectingyou.’

WhenIcamein,PreciousMintowasstandingatthecooker,frying

fish fingers and singing a hymn under her breath in her wobbly

falsetto. We ate more or less in silence, our conversation not

stretchingfarbeyond,‘Passtheketchup,please.’

Roxy,LibbyandIdidthewashing-upwhilehermumwentforarest.

Roxy explained that her mum was ‘in remission’ which is when an

illnessgoesawaytemporarily,butitisn’tacure.

‘Itdoesmeanshesingsmore,though,’sheaddedwithacomiceye-

roll.

Wehadn’ttalkedaboutAuntyAliceandJasperbutnowwedid.

‘Ihatehim,’saidLibby.Foronce,Ididn’tfeellikeremindingherwhat

Mumsayswheneverwesaythewordhate:‘It’sastrongwordthatcan

scaryourheart.’

She said, ‘He swore at me. He told me to somethingoff, you little

something.’ (Libby can be quite prudish at times. She would never

repeat a swear word, even in front of me. Especially in front of me,

cometothinkofit.)

Jasper had said that to Libby? Roxy and I exchanged glances.

‘When? When did that happen?’ I asked her. She was doing her

annoyingthingofrestackingthedishwasher,thatIhadalreadyloaded,

into an arrangement more to her liking. You wouldn’t think she was

onlyseven.

Shelookedup,apparentlysurprisedatthequestion.

‘That daywhen I came backfrom Brownie camp. The day I found

theboy…’

‘Alfie.’

‘Yeah, well, everyone was in the kitchen, all those people, and

Jasperwasn’t.’

I had forgotten that, probably because I hadn’t thought it was

important,but,nowthatshementionedit,Isupposeitwasunusualnot

towanttoknowwhatwasgoingon.

‘AuntyAlicewaslookingabitlost,soIwentlookingforhim.Hewas

inyourroom.’

‘Myroom?Well,that’swhereAuntyAliceandhimwerestaying.’

‘Iknowbutlistentothis.Hedidn’thearmecomein.Hewassitting

at the window, looking at the police car driving away, muttering to

himselfandmoaning.’

RoxyandIhadstoppedclearingup.Roxysaid,‘Moaning?’

‘Well, moaning, tuneless singing and mumbling; I couldn’t

understand what he was saying. It sounded like Latin. Ackoom Tay-

am,hewassaying,AckoomTayam.Thenhesawmeinthereflection

ofthewindowandhewasreallyshocked.That’swhenhetoldmeto

…goaway.’

Roxymurmured,‘Saythatagain.Thethinghewassaying.’

‘What,ackoomtayam?I’venoideawhatitmeans.’

‘I do, though,’ said Roxy with a little shrug. ‘Acum te am. It’s a

Romanian folk song: we learnt it in drama last year.’ She said it so

casually,asifeveryoneshouldhaveatleastsomeknowledgeofEast

Europeantraditionalmusic.

‘Whatdoesitmean?’

‘Itmeans“NowI’vegotyou”.’

I looked carefully at Libby to judge her expression. I was

incredulous.‘Youdidn’ttellthistoanyone?’SheshookherheadandI

sawherchinmaketheverybeginningsofatremble.

‘Iwasscared,Aidan.’

The last thing we needed was a sobbing seven-year-old. It was

Roxy who stepped in and – to my astonishment – put her tiny arm

roundLibby(whowastallerthanher)andsaid,‘It’sOK.I’dhavebeen

scaredaswell.’

Roxy’s little squeeze had opened up something in Libby and she

carried on: ‘He gave me a hug afterwards and he did this.’ Libby

demonstratedwithRoxy,stoopingalittletohugher,thenwhisperingin

herear:

‘Notaword.Notasingleword,doyouunderstand?’

‘Hesaidthat?’Iasked,amazed.Libbynodded,andherchinstarted

togoagain.

WestayedatRoxy’sandwatchedTV,althoughIdidn’tpayattention

toanyofit.NordidRoxy,Idon’tthink;everytimeIlookedoverather,

she wasn’t even looking at the screen. When Libby and I got back,

AuntyAlicehadgonetobed.

Acumteam.

NowI’vegotyou.

WhatonearthdidJaspermeanbythat?

ThenextdaywasthedayoftheSchoolHistoryExhibition,apparentlyoneof

thehighlightsofLocalHistoryWeek.Iwasdistracted,thinkingaboutJasper

and theupcoming archaeological dig – how was I going to get to the pearl

beforetheyfoundit?

Butsomethingsoonhappenedthattookmymindoffallthat.

Theideawasthatsmall‘teams’hadbeentaskedwithfindinganoldobject

athomeandresearchingwhereitcamefrom,andwhatitssignificancewasto

localhistory.

Each team was allocated a table in the playground where they would

displaytheirobjectandaposter.Thewholeschoolwouldthenbeinvitedto

theexhibition.Peoplehadbroughtinoldphotographalbums;onegirlhadher

great-grandmother’schristeningshawl–thatsortofthing.

Bythisstage,theheatwavehadpersuadedtheschooltoallowtheboysto

go tieless. One or two had taken the chance to unbutton their shirts to the

waist.

‘Oh my days,’ said Roxy, who had already done a quick tour of the

playgroundexhibition.‘WaittillyouseeInigoDelombra!’

Wedidnothavetowaitlong.Hisexhibition,whichhewasmanningwith

two of his friends, was close to us and I saw him from a distance. He had

takentheopportunityofnotwearingatieevenfurtherthanothers,withthe

addition of a large,shiny cross on a thick chain to decorate his bare chest.

Darkglassescompletedtheimpressionofsmall-timeconman.

Heseemedinacheerymoodaswepushedthroughthethrongtomakeour

wayovertohisexhibition.

‘Ah–lookwhoitisn’t!’hesaid,grinningwolfishly.‘Verilyandforsooth,

’tisthou,thefancy-talkingfopofClassFive!’

‘Thatisnottherightmeaningof“fop”,Inigo,’Iretorted.‘Indeeditmeans

someonegiventofancy,showydressing.Suchasthesportingofostentatious

jewellery.’Iindicatedhiscrossandchain.

His two friends thought this was hilarious. ‘Owww! Delombra: you is

burned!’ saidthe onecalledJonesy, inan Americanaccent,and clicked his

fingers.Inigocurledhislipinresponse.

(I think this was what everybody calls ‘banter’ and, by the way people

smiled,Iwasgoodatit,onthatoccasion,atleast.)

Untilthen,Ihadnotevenseenwhathisdisplaywas,butIlookeddownand

immediatelyfeltsickandbreathlessatthesametime.

Itis aswell thathis friendswere distracting himor someonemight have

heard me gasp. As it was, Aidan said, ‘Oh wow! Look at this, Alfie,’ and

movedtopickupabookfromthedesk.

‘Oi!Notouchin’!’Svaluabletharriz!’saidInigoDelombra.

Istared,dry-mouthed,atacopyofATaleofTwoCitiesbyCharlesDickens

andIknew–IdonotknowhowbutIjustknew–thatInigoDelombrawould

saywhathesaidnext.

‘It’sautographed,youknow!Look!’Heopenedthefrontcoverofthebook,

andthereitwas,inextravagant,curlyhandwriting.

Roxypointedattheinscriptionandsaid,‘Hey–itsays‘Alve’.Justlike—’

‘Yes,’Icutin.‘Itisaveryunusualname.’

‘Neverreaditmeself,mind,’saidInigo.‘Borin’asowt,ify’askme.Buthe

wroteloads,didCharlesDickens.An’Ilovethetitle.Ifyousayitthewrong

wayround,yougetASaleof—’

I interruptedhim. ‘H-how did you get this?’ I tried tosound relaxed and

interested,but Ido notthink Isucceeded, becauseRoxy andAidan’s heads

both snapped round to look at me. Inigo had been distracted by a friend

chortlingatsomejokehehadmade,whichIhadmissedinmyastonishment,

soIsaiditagain,alittletooloudly.

‘HowDIDyougetTHIS?’

‘Allright,allright–keepyourhairon.It’sbeeninmefamilyforyears.I

gotalendofitoffmeGreatUncleJohn.’

‘Andwhatishisname?’

‘I’vejusttoldyou,man.It’sJohn.Firstname–GreatUncle.Jeez.Hegotit

offhisdad,an’Ihaven’tgorracluewherehegotit.Itwasyearsago.Youall

right?’

I pulled myself together. ‘Yes, fine, splendid, actually. Thank you,’ and I

wanderedoffinadaze,withAidanandRoxyfollowingme,andthesoundof

Inigo Delombra imitating me in my ears: ‘Splendid. Who the heck says

“splendid”?’

IturnedtoRoxy.‘Doyoutrustme?’

Shenarrowedhereyes.‘Whereisthisgoing?’

Therewerepeopleallaroundus.‘Donotask.Justanswermyquestion.Do

youtrustme?’

‘Yes,Alfie.Itrustyou.’

Aidanadded,‘Metoo.Whatisallthis?’

‘Faint,’IsaidtoRoxy.‘Rightnow.Justfaintonthegroundandstayfainted

foraslongasyoucan.Ipromiseyouitisimportant.Justdoit.’

‘Faint?’

‘Yes.Imagineyouaretheleadactressinaplayandthescriptrequiresyou

tofaintintheheatofa…ajungleorsomething.’

Thatgother.‘Righthere,rightnow?’

‘Yes.Youwillbebrilliant,Ipromise.’

‘Why,though?’

‘Iaskedyouifyoutrustedme…?’

She needed no further coaxing. With a little moan, she fell back into

Aidan’sarmsinthemiddleofthecrowd.Aidanwasgoodaswell.

‘She fainted!’ he yelled. ‘Everybody clear a space – Roxy Minto has

fainted!’

Everyonestoppedtolook,andformedalittlecircleroundher.AsIslipped

away, I heard someone say, ‘It’s the heat – she’s fainted!’ and then –

inevitably–MrSpringham’sboomingvoice:

‘CLEARASPACE!GIVEHERSOMEAIR!’

InigoDelombra’stablewasdesertedastheygawpedatthefaintingvictim,

leavingthebookunattended.

Mybook.Tensecondslater,Ihaditinmyschoolbag,andthirtyseconds

afterthatIwasoutoftheschool’sbackgate,tryingtowalkfastbutnaturally,

andbreathingasifIhadjustrunamile.

Itwasjustgettingworse.Theamountoftroublewewerebuildingup

forourselveswasprettyterrifying.

Imean,when itwasme andRoxykeepingthe secretoftheweird

kidwhoclaimedtobeathousandyearsold,itwasOK.Fun,really,ina

way:youknow,usagainsttheworld?

Iwasevencoolwithbeingthefriendofthenewweirdkidatschool

andthe tinygirl with thesqueaky voice.Not that Ihad muchchoice,

whatwithSpatchandMobeingprettymuchinseparablethesedays.

Butnowwewerethieves.Exceptweweren’treally,becauseIhadn’t

stolenanything,norhadRoxy.Andnor,forthatmatter,hadAlfie.

WesatinRoxy’sgarage,thethreeofus.ThecopyofATaleofTwo

Citieslayonthedeskandwestaredatit,silently,forages.Therestof

thecollectionofDickensbookswasstillinthemetaltrunkbeneaththe

batteredsofa.EventuallyAlfiespoke.

‘Itismine.Youdobelieveme?’

‘Ibelieveyou,Alfie.Ithasyournameinit,’Roxysaid,staringatthe

floor.

‘Yeah,metoo.’

‘Tellmeagain,’saidAlfie.‘WhathappenedafterRoxypretendedto

faint?’

BythetimeMrSpringhamhadmadeitovertothegatheredcrowd,

Roxystillhadn’trecovered.Anylonger,andIwasgettingscaredthey’d

callanambulanceorsomething.Soonafterwards,she‘cameround’,

and I accompanied her indoors with Miss Newton, where she was

madetositinthelibrarywithaglassofwater.

MissNewtonstartedfillinginsomeformaboutRoxyfaintingandshe

wasasking questionslike,‘Do youhavea headache?Didyou injure

yourselfwhenyoufell?’

Schoolwasfinishedfortheday,anyway.MissNewtonofferedtorun

Roxyhomeinhercar,whichwasniceofher,and,becauseIlivenext

door, I got a ride as well. It was only when we were sitting in Miss

Newton’scarthatRoxy’smobilephonestartingpinginglikemad.

‘You’re popular!’ said Miss Newton, smiling, but Roxy’s face was

expressionless.

‘OhmyGoodness!’shesaid,readinghermessages.‘There’sbeena

theftatschool.Somebookhasgonemissingorsomething.’

I’vegot tohand itto Roxy. IfI hadn’tknownshe wasacting, Ijust

couldnothaveguessed.Hertonewaspitch-perfect:surprisedbutnot

personallyconcerned.IknewIcouldn’tactaswellasshecould,soI

justkeptmyresponsestotheminimumIthoughtIcouldgetawaywith.

‘Gosh!Atheft!Blimey!’

Roxyshotmeasidewaysglanceandrolledhereyes,smiling.

MissNewtonsaid,‘I’msuresomeone’sjustmislaidit.Thesethings

happenallthetime.Isthisyourhouse,Roxy?’

Andnow,anhourlater,allthreeofuswereinthegarage,staringat

Alfie’sbook.

‘Itisnottheft,’hesaid,whenwe’dfilledhimin.‘Itwasminetobegin

with.Youcannotstealsomethingyoualreadyown.’

‘But how did Inigo have it in the first place?’ asked Roxy, fanning

herselfwiththehatfromherOliver!costume.‘Hesaidithadbeenin

hisfamilyforages.HisUncleJohnorsomething?’

Istartedsaying,‘Couldn’tyou,youknow…’butshewasalreadyout

ofthedoor.

‘Backinaminute!’shesaid.

Wesatinsilenceforabit,Alfieandme.EventuallyIpickedupthe

book.‘Isitanygood?’Isaid.

‘Anygood?Itishisbest!Hetoldmehimself,itwashisfavourite.’

‘What’sitabout?’

‘DoyouremembertheFrenchRevolution?’

‘No,butIsupposeyoudo.’

‘Sort of. It did not affect us directly. Not at first. But I do not think

there is anyone left in the world that it has not affected by now.

AnywaythetwocitiesofthetitleareLondonandParis,andthereisa

mancalledSydneyCartonwhoisabrilliantlawyer—’

HewascutshortbyRoxyreturningwithherlaptop.Aswewatched

overhershoulder,sheloggedintothesamegenealogysitesthatshe

hadshownmeafewweeksago.

‘Thankheavensforpeoplewithweirdnames,’mutteredRoxyasher

fingers tap-tapped on the keyboard. ‘Here we go: Inigo Delombra.

There’shisbirthday,bornatNorthTynesideGeneralHospital…father

AlfonsoPereraDelombra,borninSpain…motherAnneJanetteMac

…erm…McGonagal…’

‘Wait,’saidAlfie.‘DidyousayMcGonagal?’

‘Yeah,look.Why?’

He didn’t answer her straight away. Instead he said: ‘Check her

parents,canyou,please?’

Moretapping,then,‘Herewego.AnneJanetteMcGonagal,second

daughter of James McGonagal and Carol Downey Adams who were

marriedat…hangon…’

‘No, do not bother with James,’ Alfie snapped. ‘Who is this John

McGonagal?WhoisGreatUncleJohn?’

Roxygavehimalookasiftosay,‘Steadyonwiththecommands,’

butshecouldtellthathewasexcited,soshecarriedonsearching.

Momentslater,upcameascannedpagefromanoldcensus.

‘There! John McGonagal, born 1951 in South Shields. He’s the

brotherofJames.’

‘Yes,’ Alfie said. ‘That’s Great Uncle John!’ He was practically

shouting.

‘And this is relevant why, exactly?’ murmured Roxy, clearly baffled

byAlfie’sexcitement.

‘Iknewhim!’

WebothstaredatAlfie.

‘Youknowthesepeople?’Igasped.

He nodded slowly. ‘It was John’s father, Jack, who stole the book

frommeinthefirstplace.IalwayssuspectedbutIhadnoproof.NowI

know.’

WewerelettingthissinkinwhenRoxy’sphonepinged.

‘It’sMum.Shewantsmetogoin.’

ShehadhardlyfinishedspeakingwhenweheardPreciousMinto’s

ear-splittingscreechfromherback door:‘Rrrr-o-xyyyyy!You come in

now!An’bringyourfriendsan’all!’

Thisdidnotsoundgood.

Theemail fromtheschool headwasopen onPreciousMinto’siPad,

andwepasseditaround.

TO:AllYearSevenParents

FROM:Mr.D.J.Landreth,HeadofSchool

SUBJECT:ExhibitionTheft

DearParents/Carers,

ItiswithsorrowthatIreportwhatappearstobeaserioustheftontheschoolpremises

today,andwithequalsadnessthatitappearsverylikelythattheperpetrator(s)is/are

fellowstudentsatSirHenryPercyAcademy.

Asyoumayknow,anafter-schoolexhibitionwasheldtodayintheschoolgroundsfor

Local History Week at which students showed items from home of local historical

interest.

One valuable exhibit – a book signed by Charles Dickens – was stolen at around

4.10pmfromtheexhibitionstandofInigoDelombra,aYearSevenstudent.

TherewillbeawholeschoolassemblytomorrowmorninginwhichIwilladdressthe

students personally. In the meantime, I would be grateful if you would ask your

childreniftheyknowofanyinformationthatmaybeofhelpintrackingdownthisitem.

The police have been informed and are working closely with me and the school

authorities.

NaturallyIwouldpreferanoutcomethatdidnotfurtherinvolvethepolice,andtakethis

opportunity to reassure you that, if the book is returned, the matter will be handled

withintheschool’sowndisciplinaryprocedures.

Withthanks

D.J.Landreth(Mr)

Headteacher

The ‘whole school assembly’ was something that only usually

happenedonthefirstdayoftheschoolyear,inSeptember,becauseit

was virtually impossible to fit all of the students, including the sixth

form,intotheassemblyhall.

Theearlysummerheatwavemadeitevenworse.Thehallactually

smelt bad, with everybody’s odours mingling and amplifying in the

crush.

I won’t bother telling you the whole of Mr Landreth’s speech: you

canprobablyguessmostofit.

‘Serioustheft…lettingtheschooldown…lettingyourselfdown…

thoughtless crime … police informed … Come forward anonymously

withinformation…’

Allofthat.

Roxy, Alfie and I looked straight ahead at the stage where Mr

Landrethwasspeaking.Wedidn’tdareevenglanceatoneanotherin

casewegavesomethingaway.

And then Mr Landreth said, ‘Of course, as you all know, we have

CCTVcamerasintheschoolgrounds,andwewillbeexaminingthese

closely.Believeme,ifwefindoutthattheculprithasNOTvolunteered

tocomeforwardthentheconsequenceswillbemuchworse.’

That’swhenwedidbreakourgaze,andglanceateachother.

CCTV cameras? None of us had thought of that. Could one have

pickedupAlfie’stheft?Surelynot.

Surelyyes.

IdidnoteventhinkofsecuritycameraswhenImademyoh-so-cleverplanto

getbackmybook–stolenallthosedecadesagobytheboyIthoughtwasmy

friend.

Who would? Who would think that a school, of all places, would have

camerasplacedonthegates,incorridorsandstairwells?

On theway to thescience block for‘double biology’, I looked up at the

wallsthatmayhaveheldcamerasoverlookingtheplayground,or‘thescene

ofthecrime’.

Therewerenone,andIrelaxedalittle–enoughtopayattentioninclass,at

least. Of all the lessons biology was my favourite. In most of the other

subjects, I was quite far ahead of the other students, and the main effort I

madewasnottobetooclever,ortocontradicttheteacherswhentheymade

idioticstatementslike,‘Shakespeare’saudiencesfoundthesejokeshilarious.’

Well,notthatIremember.MamandIlikedplays,butWilliamShakespeare’s

jokes often fell flat. For years, women were not allowed to act in plays (I

cannotrememberwhy–probablyanotherking’sorder)sothewomen’sparts

wereplayed byyoung (andnot soyoung) men.That was oftenvery funny,

butnot,Ithink,asMrShakespeareintended.

Ihadnotstudiedmodernsciencesverymuchatall,however.

Anyway it was biology with Mrs Murphy, and I was paying attention

becauseIhave decidedthatIwanttobeadoctor whenIamolder.Thatis,

properlyolder.

There was a knock on the classroom door, and Mrs Farrow, the Head of

Administration,camein.This,itwouldappear,wasverysignificanttojudge

fromthelooksexchangedamongmyclassmates.

She looked at me and said, ‘Alfie Monk. Would you come with me,

please?’Therewasalow,murmured‘oooh’fromtherestoftheclass.

IntheHead’sofficewasMrLandreth,Sangeeta(whomIhadnotseenfora

fewdays)andapoliceofficerinshortsleeves.

Thiswasgoingtorequireacoolhead.

MrLandrethstoodupwhenIcameintohisstudy.Sangeetanoddedatmeand

gaveanervoussmile.Thepoliceofficerfiddledwithhernotebook.

‘MrMonk,’MrLandrethsaid.‘Takeaseat.’Heindicatedachairfacingthe

desk,interrogationstyle.Thiswasprobablydeliberate.

MrLandrethrockedonhisheelsabitandclaspedhishands.

‘YouknowSangeetaPrasad.ThisisPCGayle.Doyouknowwhyyouare

here?’

Obviously I did. Equally obviously I wasnot going to admit to anything

untilIknewwhattheyknew,soIanswered,‘No,sir.’

‘I’d like you to take a look at this.’ He reached over to his desk and

adjustedhiscomputerscreensothatIcouldseeit.Thepicturewasgrainy,but

itwasclearlyme:tensecondsofsecurityfilmshowingmewalkingquicklyto

the school’s rear gate. A counter in the bottom corner showed the time:

16:12:30.

And that was it. The book, which I had NOT STOLEN but simply

RECLAIMED,wasnowheretobeseenbecauseitwasinmyschoolbagover

myshoulder.IhadtakenittoRoxy’sgarage,andthenbroughtitwithmeto

EarlGreyHousebecauseIactuallywantedtoreaditagain.

‘Before you say anything, Alfie,’ said Sangeeta, ‘I want you to tell the

truth.’

‘Ofcourse,’Isaidsolemnly.

‘Well?’saidMrLandreth.

Ilookedatallthreeandkeptmyfacesteady.‘What?’

‘This film shows youleaving theschool at more or lessexactly the time

thattheapparenttheftofInigoDelombra’sbookoccurred.’

Theyweredesperate,Icouldtell,butIhadtostaycalm.

‘You areright, it does.’ No! Too impertinent.I added: ‘I … Imean, yes.

Sir.’

‘Whywereyouleavingtheexhibitionsoearly?’

‘Iamsorry,sir,butIdidnotfinditofgreatinteresttome.’

‘Andwhydidyouchoosethereargate?Youliveintheoppositedirection.’

Hell’sfire.Ihadtothinkquickly.

‘I … erm …’ Quick, Alfie. ‘I wanted to avoid some boys who had

threatenedme.Fromanotherschool,fromMonkseatonHigh.’

This,I thought, wasratherbrilliant. In justashort whileatthis school, I

havenoticedthateveryoneonthestaffisterrifiedofbullying,ofaccusations

ofbullying,andespeciallyofnotseemingtotakebullyingseriously.Thereis

even a plaque on the wall of reception declaring the school is a ‘proud

supporteroftheAnti-BullyingSchoolsForum’.

‘Areyoubeingbullied,Alfie?’askedSangeeta.

‘Notexactly.ButIwantedtoavoidthem.’Ihungmyhead,butcouldsee

thattheadultswereexchanginglooks.Thishadthrowntheirinvestigationoff

track.Involvinganotherschoolwasgenius,andIwasfeelingratherpleased

withmyself.

Toosoon.

Thepolice officersaid the firstwords she hadutteredso far. Sheflipped

backafewpagesinhernotebook.

‘What’syourfullfirstname,Alfie?’shesaid.Shehadapenreadytowrite

itdown.Ithoughtshewasjustcheckingdetails.

‘Alve.A.L.V.E.Mam’sidea.’

(Sorry,Mam.Ijustthoughtthatareminderofmyorphanstatuswouldbe

helpfulhere.Itwasnot.)

ThepoliceofficeraddressedMrLandreth.‘Whatwastheinscriptioninside

thebook,sir?’

Sheknew.Shedidnotneedtoask.MrLandrethplayedhispart.‘Itread,To

thedearreader,Alve,withmycompliments,CharlesDickens’.

‘A remarkable coincidence, wouldn’t you say, Alfie?’ said the police

officer.

Isaidnothing.Withoutthebook,theycouldnotproveanything.Therewas

noevidence.Coincidenceisnotevidence.

‘Do you have anything to say, Mr Monk?’ Mr Landreth’s tone had

hardened.Hiseyesnarrowed,andhepursedhislips.

‘I do not, sir.’ I looked at him with an expression of what I hoped was

puzzledhurt.

HeturnedtoSangeeta.‘Verywell.MissPrasad?’

Sangeetalooked atmesadlyasshebentdowntoher bagandtookoutA

TaleofTwoCities.

‘ItwasinyourroomatEarlGreyHouse,Alfie.Ididn’tevenhavetolook

hard.’

Well,thatchangedthings.

Sitting outside Mr Landreth’s office, I could hear voices inside, but I

couldn’tmakeoutwhattheyweresaying.

Next to me was Dad. Next to him were Roxy and her mum. Mr

Springhamwassittingopposite,stony-faced.

Thiswassuper-serious,andIwasveryscared.

Fifteenminutesearlier,RoxyandIhadbothbeencalledoutofour

lessons by Mrs Farrow, who walked us, wordlessly, to the Head’s

study,whereDadandPreciousMintowerewaitingwithMrSpringham.

While Mr Springham’s back was turned, Dad mouthed at me,

‘What’sup?’

I shrugged, and adopted a look of bewilderment, but I knew what

wasupallright.AndthenAlfiecameoutoftheHead’sstudy,followed

byhissocialworker,Sangeeta,andapolicewoman.Alfiekepthiseyes

fixedontheground.

IglancedacrossatRoxy.Herskinlookeddullandevenabitpale,

andshestareddeadahead,notmeetingmygaze.

Thenwetroopedin.

I’ll give you the short version. The long version is too horrible to

remember.

Wewererumbled.

Ifyouwanttoconvincesomebodythatyou’vefainted,youdon’tdo

whatRoxydid,apparently.

1.Don’tfallbackwards.That’swhatshedidandIcaughther.Mr

Springham didn’t see that bit, but he heard descriptions of it.

Realfaintersnearlyalwaysfalltotheside,orforward.

2. Watch out for the ‘hand-drop’ test. The paramedic (or Mr

Springham,inthiscase)holdsthefainter’shandaboveherface

andletsgo.Agenuinelyunconsciouspersonallowsthehandto

fallandhittheirface.Afaker,likeRoxy,makesitfallsothatit

doesn’thitherface.

Ididn’tknowanyofthisuntilitwasspeltoutbyMrSpringham.

‘Ithoughtitwasjustasillygirlseekingattention.I’veseenitbefore,’

hesaid.‘But,whenIrealisedithadhappenedatexactlythesametime

asthe theft,it wasobviousthat youwereworking togetherwith Alfie

Monk.’

‘Helpingsomebodyelsetocommitacrimeisacrimeinitself–you

dorealisethat?’saidMrLandreth.

‘We didn’t know he was going to take the book,’ I protested. That

wasthetruth.

‘Sowhydidyoudoit,then?’snappedDad.

We had no good answer. At any rate, not one that didn’t involve

saying stuff like, ‘Alfie had his book stolen back in 1940 by Inigo

Delombra’s great-grandfather.’ That was the truth, obviously, but the

truthwasnotgoingtohelpushere.

ItwasRoxywhodugusoutofthehole.Afterthelongestofpauses,

during which Mr Springham had said, ‘Well?’ three times, with

increasingvolume,shelookedathershoesandsaid,

‘Itwasrevenge,Ithink.’

And she told thestory of how Inigo Delombra had teased Alfie on

the coach to The Saxon Experience, and taken his glasses. She

exaggerated it brilliantly. She said that Inigo had called him ‘Specky

Four-Eyes’ and ‘Zombie Mouth’ (a reference to his bad teeth). Alfie

wassecretlycrying,shesaid.

AllfouradultsintheroomweresilentuntilMrLandrethsaid,‘Isee.

And presumably Alfie didn’t tell us this because he feared being

labelleda‘snitch’,amIright?’

Webothnodded.Myeyesweredirectedatthefloor,butIdidseeMr

LandrethandMrSpringhamexchangealonglook.

Ithadworked.Onceagain,IwasleftinaweofRoxy’squickthinking

inacrisis.

DadandMrsMintoleftshortlyafterwards.

Roxy and I were made to wait outside Mr Landreth’s study again,

while Inigo Delombra and Alfie went in. I tried listening with my ear

pressedagainstthedoor,butMrsFarrowkeptwalkingpast.Ithinkshe

knewwhatIwasuptoandshetoldmetositdown.

Eventuallywewerebothcalledin.

1.PromptedbyMrLandreth,RoxyandIapologisedforstagingthe

fakefaint.

2.Alfieapologisedfortakingthebook.

3.FinallyInigoDelombraapologisedtoAlfiefortakinghisglasses.

(Incidentally, I havenever heard threeless sincereapologies. Inigo’s

especiallywasdeliveredinaquiet monotone:‘I-am-sorry-I-took-your-

glasses-and-I-won’t-do-it-again-there-can-I-go-now-weirdo?’ He didn’t

actuallysaythelastbit,buthemanagedtoimplyit.)

As we turned to leave, Inigo mouthed a swear word at Alfie and

wavedATaleof Two Citiestriumphantly under his nose. Alfie gritted

histeethandsaidnothing.

Alfieand Iwere headingback toclass, whenSangeeta, thesocial

worker,said,‘Alfie?’

Webothturned.‘It’sjustAlfieIneedtospeakto,’shesaid.Icarried

on,butstoppedroundthecornersothatIcouldlisten.

‘Do you have any personal belongings: in a desk, or locker or

anything?’sheaskedAlfie.

Hemusthaveshaken hishead, becauseI thenheard her say,‘All

right,then,comewithme.You’renotgoingbacktoyourclass.’

Isawhimagainonlyafewhourslaterandeverythingchangedafter

that.

‘Doyouwanttogoforadrive,Alfie?’SangeetaaskedoutsideMrLandreth’s

office.

IhadgrowntoquitelikeSangeeta.Shewouldtalkstraightforwardlyabout

Mam,andencouragemetodothesame.Shenolongerhushedhervoice,or

putherheadononesideina‘poorlittleboy’sortofway;thatalwaysmade

mefeelworse.

Wedroveinhercar,makingsmalltalk:howwasmyarm?(Almostbetter,

thank you.) How was Earl Grey House? (OK, but I did not like the food

much.)

Theroadsweremoreorlessempty.Ithadrainedalittleatdawn:aquick,

violentshowerthathadcomeandgoneinhalfanhourandthethirstyearth

hadsuckedupthewaterlikeadryspongeuntilonlyafewpuddlesremained

intheshade.Thesunwoulddrythemoutsoon.

We drove to Tynemouth. Sangeeta had promised to buy fish and chips. I

knew something was up, something bigger than the controversy about the

book.Obviously.Youdonotgettakenoutofschoolforlunchnormally.

Weateourfishandchipsfromthepacket,sittingsidebysideonthelarge

stoneplinthatthebaseofthemonumenttoLordCollingwood.Thetidewas

out, exposing flat brown rocks, small pools and seaweed in the small bay

belowus.

Sangeeta looked up at the cloudless sky and tutted. ‘We need rain,’ she

murmured. I knew a tricky question was to follow. I had noticed this in

Sangeeta: she preceded difficult discussions with a remark on the weather,

likeshewaswarmingup.

Sureenough:‘Alfie?’

‘Mmm?’Isaid,throughamouthfulofcod.

‘You know that I’ve tried to be straight with you, ever since I met you,

don’tyou?’

Ididnotlikethesoundofwherethiswasgoing.

She continued: ‘Only, I don’t think you’re telling me everything you

know.’

I looked at her, furrowing my brow to express puzzlement, or interest,

while secretly thinking, Sangeeta, if I did tell you everything I know, you

wouldnotbelieveme,anyway.

‘The thing is, Alfie, we’ve been asking around. We believe you dohave

family.Imean–Iunderstandyouandyourmamledprettyprivatelives,and

that’s nothingto beashamed of. Butthere arepeople who talkof boysjust

likeyoulivinginyourhouse,withyourmam,beforeyouwereevenborn.’

‘Whatpeople?’

‘Come on, Alfie. Nobody lives their lives completely cut off from other

members of society. The vicar of St Mary’s on Ilfracombe Gardens, for a

start. He was at your mam’s funeral? He says that, when he moved here

twentyyears ago,hevisitedyourmam,andtherewas ayoungladofabout

youragelivingthere.Isthisacousin,orsomething?Oranolderbrother?’

Isaidnothing,andatesomemorechips.

‘Comeon,Alfie.Don’tgoallsilentonme.’

Istayedsilent.

‘We’velookedatlocalrecords,Alfie.Wecandothat,youknow.Council

tax, the census, the electoral roll. There’ve been members of your family

living there for years and years. You’re even in the phone book. Monk, H.

OakHouse,WhitleyBay.Thatwasbackinthe1950s.Whowasthat–your

grandmother? Great-grandmother? Where is the rest of this family, Alfie?

Whyallthesecrecy?Youhavetohelpushere.’

She took out her mobile telephone and tapped it a few times until a

photographappeared.Ihadtostrugglenottogasp.ItwastheoneAidanhad

told me about from the Shields Gazette. Mam and I stood in front of Oak

Cottage,meclutchingBiffa,andgrinning.

AsIstared,Sangeetasaidgently:‘Whoarethesepeople,Alfie?Helooks

solikeyou,doesn’the?Look–thedarkglasses,theerm…gappysmile.He

evenhadacat!Didn’tyousayyoulostyourcat?’

‘Iamsorry,Sangeeta.Idonotknow.’

Sangeetaclickedthetelephoneoffandputitaway.

‘AndI’msorry too, Alfie.I don’tbelieveyou.’Hervoice had acquireda

harderedge.Wewerebothquietforamoment.Belowus,onthewetsand,a

colliechasedastickintothesea,andaseagullscreeched.

‘Alfie.Talktome!’

Isaidnothing.

‘Ihaveanothertheory,Alfie.Iwonderif,infact,you’remucholderthan

yousay.’

Istaredouttosea,andswallowedhard.

Ourfishandchipswerefinished,butwestayedatthebaseofthemonument,

lookingouttowardsthesea.

‘I looked it up,Alfie,’ saidSangeeta. ‘Atfirst, I thoughtyou mighthave

damagedyourthyroidatbirth.It’samedicalconditionthatcanpreventyou

growingproperly.Thereusedtobeacomedianontheradio…’

Idon’tknowwhyIblurteditoutbutIdid.‘JimmyClitheroe.’

Ohno.WhydidIsaythat?

‘Whyyes,Alfie.But…’Sheshiftedinherseattolookatmemoreclosely.

‘How on earth does an eleven-year-old boy know about a comedian from

sixtyyearsago?’

I shrugged again. ‘Mam liked him. Said she liked him, when she was

younger.’

‘When she was younger? Alfie, your mam was born in 1980-something.

JimmyClitheroewasbiginthe1950s.Also–howdidyouknowIwasgoing

tosayJimmyClitheroe?’

‘Iwasjustguessing.Hehadagrowthcondition,thatisall.’

(It was true. Mam and I had loved Jimmy Clitheroe. He was a man-boy

whonevergrewup,becausesomethinghadgonewrongwhenhewasborn.

We thought he was hilarious. He would say, ‘Oooh, flippin’ ’eck!’ when

something went wrong, only it was funny when he said it. He was on the

wireless,andonthetelevisionwhentelevisionwasinblackandwhite.)

Sangeeta narrowed her eyes. ‘Anyway,’ she continued slowly, ‘turns out

there’snothingwrongwithyourthyroid.Butmightitbesomethingelse?’

‘LikeIsaid,Idonotknow,Sangeeta.’

‘Onlyifitturnsoutthatyouarenoteleven,andarealotolder,thatwould

changethingsconsiderably.’

NowIwasreallynervous.

AllIwantistogrowupnormally.Havefriendsmyage.Gotoschool.This

suspicioncouldruineverything.

AndthenIsawhim.HedidnotseethatIsawhimbuthewasthere,sitting

onabenchfurtheralongtheheadland.Hadhebeenwatchingallthistime?

Jasper.

Didhefollowme?

‘Canwegonow,please,Sangeeta?’Isaid.

Hemusthavefollowedme.

‘Youcan’tdodgethesequestionsindefinitely,Alfie.’

Whyishefollowingme?

‘Doyouhearme,Alfie?’

Icannottellanyone.Itcouldexposeeverything.

‘Alfie?EarthtoAlfie!’

Butwhatifhemeanstoharmme?

‘Over there, Sangeeta. There’s a man who …’ But he had gone. ‘Sorry,

Sangeeta.Iamnotthinkingstraight.’

WewerebackinthecarandIstrappedmyselfinwhenSangeetaturnedher

wholebodytomeandlookedatmesolemnly.

‘Alfie. I need to tell you this. I have submitted a request to the head of

ChildServices thatwe performa DNA agetest, whichshould clearup any

doubts.’

‘ADNAtest?Why?’

‘An analysis of your DNA can reveal your age to within a few years,

maybeafewmonths.It’sprettynew,andthey’llneedfreshcellsamples.You

knowwhatDNAis,Alfie?’

‘Yes,ofcourse.It’sthenamegiventothemoleculewithinthenucleusofa

cellthatcarriesallthegeneticinformationineverylivingorganism.’Icaught

myselfsoundingknowledgeableandancient,eventhoughwehadjustlearnt

thisinschool,soIadded,‘Ithink.’

Sangeetashookherheadandsmiled.‘Youthink,eh,Alfie?Youknowwhat

thedentisttoldme?Hereckonedyouhavetheteethofsomeonemucholder

thaneleven.IthinkIcantellthatjustbylisteningtoyou.’

‘AndwhatifIdonotwanttohavethiscelltest?’

She had started thecar,but turnedthe engineoffagain to emphasise her

point.

‘Well,here’sthecuriousthing.Ifyou’reovereighteen,youcanrefuse,and

wewouldhavetogotocourtifwewantedtopursueit,whichisarightold

hassle,frankly,andprobablynotworthitifyou’vealreadyadmittedtobeing

an adult. But, seeing as you say you’re a minor – that is, someone under

eighteen–we,forthetimebeing,areyourlegalguardians.’

‘And?’

‘And you’re booked in for cell sampling next week. Meanwhile you’ve

beenwithdrawnfromschoolpendingaconfirmationofyourtrueage.’

Myheartdropped. ItwasasifIcouldseeeverythingthatIhadaimedat

reversingoverthehorizon.‘But,Sangeeta…’

‘Nobuts,Alfie.ImaginethetroubleIwouldbeinifitwasdiscoveredIwas

sendingagrownmanintoaclassfullofchildren.’

Unfortunatelyforme,IcanimaginethetroubleSangeetawouldbeinandit

meantthatIwassilentallthewaybacktoEarlGreyHouse,myancientmind

dancing,fighting,arguingwiththetaskaheadofme.

Iwouldneedhelp,thatwasforsure.

Iwouldneedtoactfast,ofthatIwasequallysure.

I had thought I could wait a week or two – maybe a month – to plan

everythingandbeatthearchaeologiststothesiteonCoquetIsland.

Nowthingsweredifferent.

Iknewthatthesecondapplicationofthelife-pearlwouldstarttheageing

process again. From the moment I took it, I would start to grow up again.

Thatwasassumingitstillworkedaftercenturiesunderground.

What I did NOTknow waswhether itwould ‘reset’ myage. IfI tookit,

would the DNA test of my cells, which Sangeeta was insisting upon, still

revealmytrueage?Orwoulditshowmetobeeleven?

IalsoknewthatifIdidnotactbeforeIhadthetest,theneverythingwould

belost.

TheonlyhopeIhadwastoactsoon.

And,bysoon,Imeantomorrow.

Staringoutofthecarwindow,Ilookedinthesidemirror.Thecarbehind

wasablackBMW.Icouldnotseeinsidebecauseofthesunshinereflecting

offthewindscreen,butIknewitwashim.

ThenIsawhiscarindicatorlightflashing;heturnedupBeachRoadtothe

leftaswecontinuedontowardsCulvercot.Hewasjustcheckingthatwewere

goingback.

Ithink.

IneededhelpandIneededfriends–andIneededthembothfast.

Byfourthirty,IwasinRoxy’sgarage,thepinksignstillflickering---AGE

outside.

Roxyhadthisshygrinassheopenedherlaptopandbeckonedmeoverto

look.Iwasexpectingmoreofthegenealogysitesthatshewassokeenon,but

thiswasdifferent.

www.pet-locator.com

HaveYOUlostapet?We’llfindit–guaranteed!

‘ForBiffa.Yourcat,’saidAidan.‘Wethought,youknow…’butIwasahead

ofhim.

‘Yes.Itisbrilliant,andthankyou.Only…’

I wanted to say, ‘Only we cannot do this now. I love Biffa but there is

something even more important.’ But I was so touched by their friendly

concern,andtheyweresoenthusiastic.Isaid,‘Howmuchdoesitcost?’

‘Itisn’tcheap,’saidRoxyquietly.‘Forthefullservice:posters,house-to-

house,websupport,everything,it’s,erm…’Shehesitatedandcoughed.‘Two

thousandpounds.’

I felt my shoulders slump. ‘And where will I get two thousand pounds

from?’

RoxyandAidansaidnothing,buttheireyesbothdriftedtotheburstsofa

and the trunk underneathit containingmy (almost)complete setof Charles

Dickensbooks.

Ah.

There was, of course, no question that the books would be worth two

thousand pounds. Much more, probably. But how would I sell them? How

sooncouldIdoit?Biffameantmoretomethananyamountofbooks,butit

wasalongtimesincethefire.Wouldsheevenbealive?Howwouldsheeat?

Wehadtomashupherfoodbecauseherteethweresobad.Wouldsheeven

beabletohunt?

Itwasanotherhoteveningbuttheairwasdamp.Ithadn’trainednowfor

weeks,notproperly,andthegroundwasdryandcracked.Eventhebirdsin

thewoodshadgonequiet,asiftheirusualchirrupingwastoomucheffort.

‘Rainisonitsway,’Ideclared,bywayofbreakingthesilence,andRoxy

tookouthermobiletelephoneandjabbedatit.

‘Notaccordingtothisit’snot,’shesaid,andsheshowedmeachartonthe

screen with a weather forecast on it. But it was wrong, and I told her so,

perhapsalittleabruptly.

‘Wow,Alfie.You’rejumpy.What’sup?’askedAidan.

AndsoItoldthemaboutSangeeta’ssuspicionsaboutmyage,andthecell

testIwastoundergonextweek.

RoxyandAidanfellsilent.EventuallyAidansaid,‘I’mreallysorry,Alfie.

That’llmean…’

‘Itwillmeantheendofeverything.Iwillnotbeabletogotoschool.Ijust

wanttogrowupnormally.Youhavetohelpme.’

Roxygotupfromthetornsofa,leavingtwopatchesofsweatonthevinyl

whereherlegshadbeen.‘Thingis,Alfie,whatcanwedo?Realistically?’She

openedthedoorofthelittlefridgeandawaftofcoolaircameoutbutsoon

disappeared.

Andthenwesat,orstood,orwalkedabout,discussinganddismissinghow

IcouldgettoCoquetIsland.

Tomorrow.

EvenifwecouldgettoAmbleonthemainland,upthecoast–howwould

wegettotheislandaboutamileouttosea?Itisanaturereservenow,and

touristboatsarenotallowedtolandbecauseofalltherarebirdswhoseeggs,

hundredsofyearsago,MamandIwouldcollecttoeat.

ItwasthethoughtofMamthatsetmeoff.ThatandBiffastarvingtodeath

somewhere.Myheadsankintomyarmsindespair.Ifeltthesobsrisinginmy

chestwhenRoxycameoverandpattedmyback.

‘Why don’t you just wait, Alfie? You know, in a few years’ time, who

knowswhat scientists mightdiscover,especiallyifthey’re able totestyou?

AndanywayyoucouldmakeyourownwaytoCoquetIslandonedaytofind

thepearlthing?No?’

ThesobsstoppedinmythroatandIliftedmyhead.

‘You do not understand, do you? I CANNOT WAIT! Once the

archaeologistsstart their digging,itis onlyamatter of timebefore the life-

pearliseitherdestroyed,orfoundandstuckinamuseum,oropenedandsent

foranalysisandthenwhathopedoIhave?Iwillbestuckthisageforever!’

Iwasshouting,butIcouldnotstop,especiallywhenAidansaid,‘Butwe’ll

behereforyou,Alfie…’

‘NO,YOUWILLNOT!Youwillgrowup,youwillleavemebehind:the

“strange kid, who talked funny, who had a tattoo, who reckoned he was a

thousandyearsold”.Youwillbethesameaseveryoneelse,thesameasJack,

andI will beleftlikethis.’ I lookeddownat myself, anancientmanin the

bodyofaboy.

Igottomyfeetandwalkedoffwithoutafurtherword.

I arrived back at Earl Grey House forty minutes later than I should have,

becauseIsimplycouldnotsummontheenergytowalkfast.Everystepfelt

likemy feet werestickingto theground.I was expectingAuntyReet tobe

furious,andIhadalreadydecidedthatIdidnotcare.

Insteadshesaid,‘There’ssomeonetoseeyou,Alfie.’

‘Who?’

‘Apparentlytheyknowyoufromyearsago.’

Inearlythrewuponthespot.IthadtobeJasper.

MyhandwasshakingandIsteadieditonthedoorknobbeforeopeningthe

loungedoor.

Hefacedthewindow,adarksilhouette,handsclaspedbehindhisbroadback.

‘Hello, Alfie,’ he said before turning round. When he did, it took a few

secondsandthenIgaspedaloud.

IhadnotseenJohnMcGonagalinnearlysixtyyears.Not,infact,sinceI

fought him in the lane all those years ago. There was no mistaking him,

although his hair was now mostly white, and his eyes had a sadness and

emptiness that was almost heartbreaking. He nodded slowly. I had not said

anything.

‘I thought it was you,’ he said in the same Geordie accent that he had

threatened me and Mam with, and I was instantly on edge, the memories

floodingback.

‘You’remental,youare!Weirdo!Abloodypsycho!’

And then Rafel’s words: ‘In the real world, Alfie, you gotta kill ’em.

Otherwisetheycomebackformore.’

Hadhecomebackforme?Whatwashesaying?Thesilhouettedfigurewas

talkingandthewordswereswimminginmyhead…

‘Itcouldn’tbeanyoneelse,’Johnwassaying,andmythoughtscameback

into focus, back into the twenty-first century. ‘When my great-nephew –

Inigo,youknowhim–toldmeaboutthebookincidentathisschool,Iknew

ithadtobeyou.’

Istoodthere,blinkinginamazement.

‘It’s all right,’ said John, shaking his head. ‘I know exactly what Inigo’s

like.There’sagoodladintheresomewhere,mind,butit’shiddenunderneath

layersoflazy,stupid,swaggering…’Hestoppedhimself.‘Well,thatdoesn’t

matter.WhatmattersisthatI’mhere.’

Ispokeforthefirsttime.‘Icanseethat.But…why?’

Heturnedbacktothewindowandstaredout,takinghistimetoanswer.

‘The doctors gave me six months to live – about six months ago. Don’t

worry,’hesaid,givingashortlaugh.‘Ifeelfine.Tip-top,infact.Mostly.But

thereweresomelooseendstotieup–beforeIgo,youknow?’

Inodded,eventhoughhewasnotlookingatme.Ihadsatdownonthehard

sofa, but Idid nottake myeyes offhim. Heturned back and looked atme

withhissadoldman’seyes.

‘Ideservedthatbeatingyougaveme,Alfie.Deservedit onehundredper

cent.Tookmeawhiletorealiseit,though.Years.And,bythetimeI did,I

wantedto–Idon’tknow,apologise,Isuppose.Butyouandyourmamhad

moved,hadn’tyou?Allbecauseofme,Iexpect.

‘Andmind,youleftnotrace.I’llbetyou’regoodatthat,eh?Movingon

withoutatrace?’

I shrugged, wondering, Where is this going? It sounded very much as

thoughheknew.Knewmysecret.Igotanuncomfortablepricklingsensation

downmyneck.

‘And so I left it, and lived with it. Only you moved back, didn’t you?

People talk, Alfie. And there’s lots to learn if you’re prepared to listen. I

wrotetoyourmambutIgotnoreply.IthoughtIshouldprobablyjustleaveit

alone.ThenIheardaboutthefire.’

He paused. I think he was being really careful to sound measured and

gentle.‘I’msorry,Alfie.Aboutyourmam.And…youknow…’Helooked

aroundthesparselyfurnishedroomwithitshard-wearingpaintandclassroom

smell.‘This…andeverything.’

‘Doyou…doyouknow?Aboutme?AndMam?’

Hesmiled,and,forthefirsttime,hissadnessseemedtolessen.‘Ohaye.I

know. Your secret’s safe. Well, there is one other person that knows. The

personthattoldme,infact.’

‘Hello,Alfie,’croakedanothervoice,andIspunroundonthesofa.Sitting

hunched in the corner of the room, in shadow, was a figure I had not seen

whenIcamein,whohadbeensittingthereallthistime.

Hewasancient,shrunken,withwildwhitehairandapermanenttremorin

hischin.But therewas asharplook in hiseyesthattold me hewasa long

wayfrommentaldecline.

StaringatmeandshakinghisheadwasthepersonIwasusedtothinkingof

asthelastfriendIeverhad:JackMcGonagal.

‘I’msorryaswell,Alfie,’Jacksaideventually,buthisvoicewassoquietit

washard to hear. Imovedclose, and pulledupa chair. ‘You’ve been badly

donebyourfamily,eh?Firstme,thenJohnthereandnowthatyounggood-

for-nothingInigo.’

‘You …you havenot toldhim, haveyou?’I said,a noteof panicin my

voice.‘Aboutmy…agething?’IlookedbetweenoldJackandJohn.

Theybothshooktheirheads,andIgavearelievedsigh.

‘Yougettoyournineties,Alfie,andyouhavehadalotoftimetoreflecton

thingsyoucouldhavedonebetter.Andbythenyou’rerunningoutoftimeto

putthemright.Sometimesyoucan.’Hestoppedforalong,painful-sounding

cough.‘Andsometimesallyoucandoistrytosaysorry. I stole,Imocked

you,Itoldpeopleyoursecret.AndIamvery,verysorry.’

For several seconds, it was so quiet between the three of us that I felt I

couldalmosttouchthesilence,andthenatelephonebleepedshrillyfromthe

officedownthehall.

Theywerewaitingformetosaysomething,butIdidnotknowwhattosay.

Instead Igazed at Jackand – for just a moment– it was as though eighty-

somethingyearshadnothappened.

‘WhathappenedtoJean?’Iaskedhim.

Hegaveasnuffledhalf-laugh.‘JeanPalmer?Hah.DumpedmeforaPolish

sailor.’

Inoddedslowly.Hedidnotseemupset.Insteadhestartedawheezylaugh,

butwithinitwasthelaughoftheyoungboyIhadknown.SuddenlyIcould

see him in his big shorts, with his bony legs; I could see his hands, grimy

frombicycleoil,diggingintooursharedthreepennypacketofchips…

AndthentheimagewasgoneandIwasbackintheclammyfrontroomat

EarlGreyHouse.

‘Tellme,son,’hewhisperedandImovedinevencloser.‘This…thingthat

youhave.Isit…Idon’tknow…isitgood?Doyoulikeit?’

I do not think that anybody had ever asked me that, and I thought hard

beforeanswering.

‘Itwas,Ithink.Butnotanymore.Notforalongtime.’

Henodded.‘Oldageisnowalkinthepark,son,’hesaid.‘ButIthankthe

Lord every day that I’ve been granted the gift of growing old. Because I

wouldnotwantyourlife,Alfie,myfriend.Notinathousandyears.’

DoIwanttobeasoldashim,though?Ithoughtatthatmoment.And,if

Jackhadnotsaidwhathesaidnext,everythingcouldbedifferent.

Hepaused,andwaspanting,asiftheeffortofspeaking–evensoftly–was

huge.Hetookaraspingbreath.‘Lookatyourself.Listentoyourself,Alfie!If

youknowofawaytoreversewhateveritisthat’swrongwithyou,soyoucan

have real friends and a real life, then do yourself a favour, eh? I was your

friend,once,Ithink.Ihope.Butnowyouneedfriendswhowillnot…’He

paused for breath. Thetremor inhis chin stoppedand helooked straight at

me.‘Whowillnotleaveyoubehind.’

‘Thankyou,Jack,’Isaid.Iputmyhandouttoshakehis,andheextended

histhinhandinresponse.Hishandshakewasgentle,butnotweak,andIfelt

his papery skin move beneath my fingers. He smiled and his shoulders

seemedtolosealittleoftheirhunch,asthoughaweighthadbeenliftedfrom

them.

‘Thereisonemorething…’hebegan,butatthatmomentSangeetastuck

herheadroundthedoor.

‘Everythingallright,Alfie?’Shecameintotheroomwithoutwaitingforan

answer.‘Areyougoingtointroduceme,then?’ShestrodeforwardtoJohn,

handextended.‘SangeetaPrasad,I’mAlfie’ssocialworker.Andyouare?’

‘Ah,erm…hello.JohnMcGonagal.Thisismyfather,Jack.We…erm,

we were friends of Hilda’s. Alfie’s mother. Just wanted to, you know, say

hellototheyoungfellow.’

SangeetasmiledbutIwasworried.Howlonghadshebeenthere?Wasshe

listeningatthedoor?AuntyReetmusthavecalledherandtoldherthattwo

oldmenwerevisitingme.Idonotlikethis,Ithought.

Whatever mood we had had in that stuffy lounge was now shattered

completely.Johnsaid,‘Comeon,Dad.Probablytimewewereonourway.’

HehelpedoldJackoutofhischair.‘Nicetomeetyou,’hesaidtoSangeeta,

andoldJacksaid,‘Cheerio.’

‘I’llseeyouout,’Isaid,andfollowedtheirslowprogresstothefrontdoor,

Sangeetalookingatmesuspiciously.

In the hallway, John lowered his voice and said, ‘Is everything all right,

son?’

Inodded.Everythingwasnotallright,ofcourse,butIcouldn’tsaythatto

him.NotwithSangeetacloseby.ThenJackreachedintohisjacketpocketand

broughtoutsomethingwrappedinacarrierbag,whichhegavetomewitha

quiveringhand.

‘It’s time you got this back, Alfie,’ he said with a smile. Inside was my

copyofATaleofTwoCitiesbyCharlesDickens.

‘Thankyou!’Isaid.

‘Goodluck,Alfie.Youwereagoodfriend.IwishI’dbeenabetterone.’

And, with that, Jack and John made their way carefully down the worn

stepsandintoJohn’scarthatwasparkedontheseafrontstreet.

I turned away from the door, and Sangeeta was standing in the hallway,

armsfolded,watching.

‘You’reuptosomething,AlfieMonk,’Sangeetasaid,managingsomehowto

keephervoicegentleandfriendly,andrazor-sharpaswell.‘I’vegotmyeye

onyou,youngman.Ornotsoyoung.You’dbetter—’

ShewascutoffbyTashaandMelanie–twooftheotheryoungresidentsof

Earl Grey House – hurtling down the stairs, laughing loudly, one of them

bumpingintoher.

‘Sorry!Sorry!Hey,Alfie–youcomin’foraplodge?’

Afewoftheotherchildrenhadadoptedahabitofgoingforapaddle–a

‘plodge’ –inthe bayonwarm evenings. Thiswasthe first timeIhad been

askedalong.Iwassecretlyratherthrilled.

‘Yes, I will see you there presently,’ I replied, and they both giggled at

somethingandranoutofthefrontdoor.

Sangeetanoddedatme.‘Becareful,Alfie.I’mwatchingyou.’Thenshetoo

departed, leaving me inthe hallway with its noticeboardsand hard-wearing

carpetandsmellofdisinfectant.

Jackwasright.Ihadtoreversethis.

Lookingdown,Inoticedthebagandtookoutthebook.Ifrowned.There

wassomethinginside,somethingmakingthebookfatterthanitshouldbe.I

opened the book to see the envelope that Jack had slipped under the front

cover.

Writtenonthefrontwerethewords‘Forthechickens’andinsideweretwo

fifty-poundnotes.

Anideabegantoforminmyhead.

Upstairs in my room, I took out the mobile telephone that Sangeeta had

givenme,andturneditontocomposethefirsttextmessageIhadeversent.

DearRoxy,

Ihaveanideaforgettingtotheplacewetalkedabout.IwillmeetyouandAidan

attheMetroStationat8amtomorrow.

Yourssincerely,

Alfie

Secondslater,mymobiletelephonewentpingandIreadthemessage.Itsaid:

LOLOK.

Itseemedabitabrupt,butIwasfairlycertainitmeantyes.

Forthethirdnightinarow,Ihardlyslept,butthistimeitwasnotthrough

fear,orsadness,butexcitement.

Ihadworkedouthowtogettheworld’sonlyremaininglife-pearlback.

As a plan, it would definitely be considered ‘audacious’. But it was the

onlyplanIhad.

IwasgoingtobribesomeonetobreakthelawandtakeustoCoquetIsland.

The journey up the coast – Metro to Newcastle, bus from the

Haymarket – takes nearly two hours, and, by the time we arrive in

Amble,themorninghasturnedproperlychilly.Achurchbellischiming

ten and a large lady in an apron is rolling up the shutters on the

NeptuneCafé.

Amble is a sandy-coloured low-rise seaside town, which seems to

have its back hunched against the North Sea. There’s a permanent,

faint salty smell in the air and I hear a couple saying to each other,

‘Eeh,it’sturned,hasn’tit?’and‘Won’tbelongbeforeitrains.’

Coquet Island is there, lying off the shore, its little lighthouse the

onlyvisiblefeature.

Alfie has hardly said a word, apart from to outline his plan, made

possiblebythetwofifty-poundnotesheshowsus.Afterhearingit,I’m

not at all sure why he even wants us here, but he said it was for

‘authenticity’.He’sgoingtopretendtobeanadult,andthepresenceof

children will ‘aid the illusion’, apparently. I’m not convinced. To be

honest,Ithinkhejustwantsustherefor‘moralsupport’.Roxy,onthe

other hand, sees it as a chance to star in her own drama, I’m fairly

sureofthat.

Theweatherapponherphoneputsthechanceofrainatninetyper

centbythisafternoon.SoAlfiewasright.Anyway,bythisafternoon,if

everythinggoestoplan,thiswillallbeover.

The factthat we havemade it thisfar without ahitch should have

putusinagoodmood.

Insteadweallfeelliketheweather:chillyandbrooding,asifthere’s

worsetocome.

The three of us sit in the Neptune Café, staring out of the big

windowatthepedestriansintheirshortsandwindcheaters.Alfiehasa

cup of tea, Roxy and I each have a can of Coke, but none of us is

drinking.Thecaféownereyesussuspiciouslyasifsheexpectsusto

stealsomething.

It’s Roxywho breaks thesilence by handingher backpackto Alfie

and saying, ‘OK, then. Time for your transformation, Superman.’

Silentlyhetakesthebagandgoesintothecafé’stoilettogetchanged

intohisoldmangear.

She’s so relaxed about it all, it’s a bit infuriating. It’s probably

becauseshe’sinnodangerofsettingoffanyalarmbellsathome.

‘Easy-peasy,’ she said on the bus when I asked her how she had

explainedherearlyabsence.‘DramaClubtriptoYork!’

‘Andyourmumdidn’twonderwhyyouwerestartingat,like,seven

onaSaturdaymorning?’Iasked.‘Shedidn’twonderwhytherewasno

letterorconsentformtosign?’

She shrugged. ‘My mum’s got enough problems. If I tell her I’ve

signedtheconsentformtosaveherthetrouble,she’sgrateful.’

I envied her casual deception. If I’d tried to pull off something like

that, Mum or Dad would have seen through it instantly. They’d have

wantedtoseetheemail,orthescheduleofevents.Mumwouldhave

nagged Dad into getting up early to run me to the drop-off. It would

neverhaveworked.

Thenoteonmypillowwouldhavetodo,anditniggledatme.

There’sadistinctriskthatmydadwilldriveroundtoMo’sflatandhaul

me back home to help him fix the bathroom tiles/clean out the

guttering/putboxesintheloft/alloftheabove.It’swhatI’msupposed

tobedoingtoday.He’llthinkI’mskivingagain.

As for Alfie, he couldn’t have cared less. The doors at Earl Grey

Housewerelockedandalarmed,buthe’ddiscovereditwasasimple

mattertogetoutviathefireescape.

‘Shallwego?’

Thevoicebehindmemakesmejump.IspinroundtoseeAlfie,ina

long coat and man’sbrimmed hat: Roxy’s Oliver!costume. It’s pretty

convincing,Ihavetoadmit.Thewomanbehindthecountergivesusa

funny look – as anyone would if a boy had gone into your loo and

emergeddressedupasanoldman.

As we leave, the shop bell tinkles above the door. The lady still

hasn’ttakenhereyesoffus.Iseeherreachintoherpocket,takeout

her mobile phone and I have a sinking feeling in my stomach that

somethingisnotquiteright.

Isaynothing.

Roxycan’tstopgigglingatAlfie’soldmanimpression.Underanyother

circumstances, I would be laughing too: it really is good. He stoops

veryslightly–barelymorethandroppinghisneckforwardalittle–and

tugsthebrimofthehatdownoverhiseyes.Stoopinganymorewould

makehimlookveryshortbecausehe’snotespeciallytall.Hemakes

his legs slightly stiff, and slaps his feet flatly and gently on the

pavement,asifbendingthemanymorewouldcausehimdiscomfort.

It’sonlyahundredmetresorsofromtheNeptuneCafétothelittle

woodenkioskontheharbourfrontwithabig,colourfulsignsaying:

PUFFINTOURSLTD

NEXTSAILING12.00

There’samansmokingahugeelectronicpipebehindtheglassfront

ofthekiosk.Asweapproach,heputsawayamobilephone,andIjust

knowit.Idon’tknowhow,butIdo.

‘Guys!’Isay.‘We’renotgoingtogetawaywiththis.’

In an annoying sing-song voice, Roxy says, ‘You’re defeatist!’ and

carriesonwalkingrightuptothekiosk,Alfieshufflingalongsideher.

There’sarectangularholeintheglassforticketsandmoney,anda

wispofsmokeisemerging.It’sonlyvapesmoke,butthere’ssomuch

ofitthatit’salmostlikethekioskisonfire.

Alfie lowershis head to thegap in the glassand says in hisdeep

voice,‘IwonderifIcanmakeitworthyourwhiletoventurealanding

ontheisland,mate?’

Foramoment–atantalisingmoment–Ithinkwe’vegotawaywith

it. The man takes a long dragof his vaping pipe and murmurs, ‘You

what?’andhepausesbeforeexhalingalongplumeofsmoke.

Alfieextractstwofifty-poundnotesfromhisjacketpocket.

‘IwaswonderingifIcouldpersuadeyoutomakealandingonthe

island,mate?Youknow,ontheeastside,outofsight?Onlymekids

herearekeentoseethepuffinscloseup,youknowwha’Imean?’

Themaneyesthetwolargebanknotes.Alfiepushesthemtowards

himbeneaththeglass.‘Itwillbeworthyourwhile.’

The man reaches out two fingers with bitten nails, and pulls the

notestowardshimandputs themin his pocket.Alfie turnsto usand

grins.

‘Getlost,’growlstheman.‘Forastart,I’dlosemelicence.Second,

doy’thinkIwasbornyesterday?You’slotwereintheNeptuneearlier

on,weren’tyou?Goon–awaywi’yuz.Cheekylittlesods.’

‘Isthatano?’

‘Whatdiditsoundlike?Courseit’saflamin’no.Getlost!’

IseethedismayasAlfie’sshouldersslump.Hehalfturnsaway,then

straightensupandturnsbackagain.

‘MayIhavemymoneyback,then?’

There’s a dreadful pause while the man takes a drag of his pipe,

blowsthesmokeoutagainandthensays,‘Whatmoney?’

Alfie’s whole body sinks and, without looking back at us, he

slouchesdownontoanearbybench.

He’sbeen quietall morning,but, for thefirst time,poor Alfiereally

doeslookathousandyearsold.

I sit on the bench and gaze out at the violet-grey sea. High above me the

seagullscaw theirlonely cries tothe whitesky, hangingin thewindthat is

beginningtowhipuptinywhitetopsonthewavesoutsidetheharbour.

BelowwhereIsit,themastsoftheyachtsinthemarinaswayintheswell,

thesailpulleysclankinginthewind.

Itwasamadidea.

But now I have ruined it, and there is no way that I can do what I have

waitedhundredsofyearstodo.

Togrowup.

Tohaveatwelfthbirthday.Aproperone.

Tohavefriendsthatgrowupwithme,andthentofallinlove,andmarry,

andhavechildren,andwatchthemgrowupandhavechildren…

And to feel that life is valuable, precious. To yearn for each day to be

longer,becauseIdonothaveanendlessnumberofthem…

BecauseIunderstand,bynow,onethingmorethananyoneelseonearth:

withoutdeath,lifeisjustexistence.

And, for what seems like the millionth time since Mam died, the tears

streamdownmyface,chillingonmycheeksinthecoldbreeze.Atfirst,Ido

notevennoticethatAidanandRoxyhavesatdowneithersideofme.Aidan

putshisarm round myshouldersandsqueezes, and Roxyrests herheadon

myarm,likeIusedtodowithMam.

Westaythereforalongtime,Ithink.

Then,frombehindus,Ihearsomeonesay,‘Wow!Look!’Iturn,andthey

arepointingouttosea,whereaflockofbirdsaredivingrepeatedlyintothe

seaandcomingupagain.

‘Aretheyseagulls?’thelittlegirlaskshermum.

‘Idon’tknow,pet.’

Thegirlgiggles.‘Theylooklike…likeflyingfootballs!’

Theirvoicesactlikeawinch,draggingmefrommydespair.

‘They are puffins,’ I say to her. ‘You do not often see them this close to

land.There mustbe ashoal ofmackerel running, orsprats. Spratsare their

favourite.’

Themumsmiles.‘Youknowalot.’Ishrug.Modestly,Ihope.ThenRoxy

pipesup.

‘Howcolddoyoureckonthatwateris,Alfie?’

Aidanscoffs.‘It’stheNorthSea,Roxy.It’sfreezing.’

‘Butit’snearlyJune.’

‘So?’

‘SoI’vegotanidea.’

Roxy’sideaissooutrageousandoutlandish,soboldandbrave,thatthereis

nopossiblewayitcouldwork.

Itisalsomyonly–andmylast–hope.

Wearegoingtostealaboat.Well,by‘we’,Imean‘I’,basically.

In a small, busy marina, in summer, surrounded by other people, I am

goingtostealalittleyacht(oranyyacht,forthatmatter:IamnotsureIwill

havemuchofachoice)andsailittoCoquetIsland,aboutamileofftheshore.

Iknow.Sheerfolly.

Butthealternativeisnottotry,andthatisnotmuchofanoption.

Icanrememberatimewhennobodystoleverymuchatall.IndeedIcan

remember a time when stealing as much as a basket of fish would get you

hanged–howeveroldyouwere.

So…stealingaboat?

Sittingthereonthebench,thethreeofusobservethemarinaandworkout

theplanthat–evenifitworks–isguaranteedtogetusallintoagreatdealof

trouble.

Ifitdoesnotwork–whichishighlylikely–theconsequencesaretoogrim

eventothinkabout,whichiswhatIsaytoRoxy.

‘Sowedon’tthinkaboutthem!’saysRoxy,toobrightlyformyliking.‘It’s

simple,’ she goes on. ‘Either we try and probably fail. Or we don’t try and

definitelyfail.’

In that tiny sliver of chance,between ‘probably’ and‘definitely’, liesmy

future.

Roxyisonhermobiletelephone,jabbingawaywithherfingers.Suddenly

sheisRoxyInCharge:tinyandveryimpressive.

‘There are two coastguard stations near here,’ she says, looking at her

telephone.‘ThefirstisAmble,rightthere.’Shepointsacrosstheharbourtoa

lowbuildingfacingthewater.‘TheotherisinSeahousesupthecoast.We’ve

got to hope that you reach the island before either of them can catch you.

Seahousesiseasy–it’swaytoofar.Thisone,well…Idunno,really.’

If this were not discouraging enough, I am struggling to identify which

sailingboatsIcouldhandlebymyselfthatwouldhavethespeedIrequire.

Thereisonlyone:athirty-foot,white,single-mastedyacht.Itismooredon

the last jetty of the marina, closest to the open water, which is good, but a

longwalkpastotherboats,whichisbad.Iwillbenoticed.Iwillhavetowalk

bydozensofpeople,whoallknoweachotherandtheothersailors,andhave

tohopethattheypaymenoattention.

‘Thatone,’Isay to Aidan,pointing tothe yacht,which hasa littlepirate

flagflappingoverthestern.Hesaysnothing.‘Didyouhearme?’

‘Iheardyou.Doesithavetobethatone?’

‘Why?What’swrongwithit?’

‘That’smyUncleJasper’sboat,’saysAidan.

Our only chance of sailing a boat out of the little marina is to do it in full

view.‘Hiddeninplainsight,’asMamusedtosay.Eventhenwearegoingto

needamassivedistraction.

ThatiswhyRoxyaskedaboutthetemperatureofthewater.

First,though,wehavetocalloutthecoastguard.

Wehavemovedawayfromthebenchtoaquietpartoftheharbourwhere

thereareno passers-by,butwe canstill seeboth thecoastguardstationand

theyachtIamabouttosteal.

Thethree of usfaceeach other. Icannotspeak for them,butmy heart is

thumping like a blacksmith’s hammer, and my throat is so dry I feel like I

coulddrinkthewholeharbour.

Intheentiretyofmylonglife,IdonotthinkIhaveeverfeltmorethankful

forfriendslikethese,butitisnotsomethingIcaneasilysay.IlookatAidan

andhehasturnedverypale.

‘Issomethingwrong,Aidan?’Iaskhimbutheshakeshishead.

‘No,’hesays.‘Let’sdothis.’

‘Areyousure?’

Hesmiles.‘Whatarefriendsfor,Alfie?’

Andsobeginstherestofmylife.

Roxyhasturnedoff‘callerID’,whichshesaysisawaythattherecipientofa

callcanidentifyyou.

She has given a false name and (presumably) afalse numberto whoever

answeredheremergencycall,andthen wails, ‘It’sme dad! He’s in trouble!

He’sonawindsurferandhe’smilesouttosea!’

She is good. Very convincing. I look at her face and it is contorted with

worry,asthoughshereallyismakinganemergencycallaboutherdad.

‘HewentinoffLowHauxleyBeach,’shesays.‘You’vegottohelp!Thank

you…Yes,I’llstayhere.’

Wedonothavetowaitlong.Withinafewminutes,threefiguresinyellow

oilskinsrunoutofthecoastguardbuildingandclimbdownametalladderon

theharbourwalltoawaitingrescueboat:alarge,grey,rigidinflatable.

By the time the boat has started, Roxy, Aidan and I are down by the

marina.Iambreathingsohardwithnervesthatitismakingmealittlelight-

headed.

‘Willyouhurry,please?’saysRoxyintothetelephone.‘I’vegotnobattery

leftonmephone.Youarecomin’?Thanks,I’vegottagocos—’andsheshuts

thetelephoneoffmid-sentence.

‘AreyouOK?’asksAidanbutIcanonlynodinresponse.

HeturnstoRoxy.‘Allright.Timetodoyourthing.’Shetightensherjaw

andmarchesbehindashutteredice-creamshed,emergingsecondslaterina

T-shirtandknickers.

There are people on the jetties –yachties, mainly – but no one seems to

takemuchnoticeofus.Notyet,anyway.

‘Jollygoodluck,Roxy,’Isay,andIofferhermyhandtoshake.Herface

breaksintoagrin.

‘You,AlfieMonk,havetobetheweirdestkidever!’shesays.‘Comehere!’

Shethrowshertinyarmsroundmeandsqueezeshard.‘Youaretheonethat

needsgoodluck.AllIhavetodoispretendtobedrowning.Jollygoodluck.

Whatareyoulike?’

Withthat,shedescendssomestepsfromthejettyintothewaterandslipsin

withouteven gaspingatwhatmustbeverycoldwater.Sheisclenchingher

jawsotightlythatthicksinewycordsrundownherneck,andhereyesareso

whiteandwide-openthatIfeartheymaypopout.

Itellyou:RoxyMintoisthetoughestgirlIhaveevermet.

Shebeginsherswimoutintothemiddleoftheharbour,andnobodyeven

noticeshertinydarkheadbobbingthroughthewater.

AidanandImustworkquickly.

Ihave takenoffthestupid coatand hatcostumeand amback tolooking

likeachild.Therearesomeemptylobsterpotsandablueplasticcratelying

in a heap at the side of a jetty, and we both pick up an armful and head

towardsthefarendofthemarina.

Lookasthoughyouhaveapurpose,andpeoplewillignoreyou.Itisoneof

manypiecesofadvicethathavehelpedmeovertheyears.

Onlynotthistime.Athinwomaninathicksweater,withared,windswept

face,stepsintoourpath.

‘Allright,lads?’shesays,notunpleasantly.‘Whereyou’sheadedwiththat

lot?’

‘I…erm…’saysAidanandIglanceacrossathim.Hehasturnedalmost

asredasthewomaninfrontofus.

‘They’reforhisuncle,’Isay.

‘Ohaye?An’who’sthat,then?OnlyI’mthedutyharbourwardentoday.I

havetokeepaneyeonthings.’

‘It…it’sJasper.JasperHooke,’saysAidaneventually.

Thelady’sfacesoftens.‘Ah,Cap’nHooke,eh?We’vebeenseein’alotof

him lately! Goin’ after the lobsters now, is he?’ She glances up to the sky,

which is turning from white to grey, with a darker purplish bruise moving

closer.‘Iwouldn’tgooutnow,though.TellJasperthatNataliesaidthat.Look

–peoplearecomingin.’

Sheindicatestheapproachtotheharbour,betweentwolongpiers,where

already four sailing boats are heading back. There are others in the open

water. The wind is getting stronger, and there are one or two sharp, cold

raindrops. We hurry along the jetty, past the yachties securing their boats

against the coming storm, and I can just see Roxy’s head, way out in the

middleoftheharbour.

Rightoncue,wehearhercry–Help!Help!

Onlyitisveryquiet.Surprised,Ilookaroundme.Nobodyelsehasheard.

EvenAidanhasnotheard.

‘Didyouhearthat?’Iaskhim.

‘Hearwhat?’

The idea was that Roxy would cause such a disturbance that everybody

wouldbedistractedwhilewequietlyslippedoutoftheharbour.

Butitisnotworking.Nobodyispayinganyattentiontothetinyspeckway

outintheharbour.Thenoiseofthewind,andtheseasloshingthesidesofthe

boats,andtherattlingriggingandtheslappingsails…

‘Help!’ItsoundsgenuinebutthenRoxyisaverygoodactress.

Idropmyblueplasticcrateandrunbackalongthejettytowardsthered-

facedlady.

‘Someoneisintrouble!’Iyell,pointinginthedirectionofthefaintscream

thatcomesagain.

‘Help!’shoutsRoxy.

‘Ee,isthatsomeoneswimmin’?You’renorrallowedtoswimintheharbour.

Hey!Hey!’

Now I really am scared, because I cannot make out Roxy’s head in the

wateranylonger.Theswelloftheseahasincreasedandevenherraisedarm

disappearsfromsight.Nataliehastakenoutasmallpairofbinocularsandis

sweeping them from side to side. Eventually she says, ‘Yes! There is

someone!’andwebothhearthecryagain:

‘Helpme!’

ThenNatalieisoff,herwellingtonsthuddingagainstthewoodenplanksof

the jetty as she runs for help. I am running in the opposite direction, back

towardsAidan,whohasstoppedbyhisUncleJasper’sboat.

‘Comeon–wedonothavesuperfluoustime,Aidan!’

The boat is tied to the iron mooring and Aidanis already unhooking the

long rope. He is about to unravel the last loop when he stops, his brow

furrowed and a concerned look on his face. He is looking at the boat’s

wheelhouse.

‘Whatisit?’Iask.

‘Thekeys.Look.They’reintheignition.’Heiswhispering.

Sureenough,akeyisstickingoutoftheboat’scontrolpanel,withalarge

corkfloatdanglingfromit.

‘Whywould—’Istart.Aidanisaheadofme.

‘—anyoneleavetheirkeysinaboat?Unless…’

‘…theywerealreadyonboard?’

Theswellofthewaterhasmadetheyachtriseandfall,andthelastyardor

two of rope has become disengaged from the mooring. Already the boat is

driftingfromthejetty.Iputmyfingerstomylipsandleapontothesternof

theyachtasquietlyasIcan.Aidanfollows,landinglightly.Wecreeptowards

thewheelhouse.

Nextto the ship’s wheelisa tiny opendoorwayleading belowdeckto a

littlekitchenettewithatableand,beyondit,abed.

Lying on the bed, arms outstretched, eyes closed and with headphones

coveringhisears,isAidan’sUncleJasper,anemptybottleofrumlyingnext

to him. He has the music turned up so loud that it is seeping out of the

headphones:Icanevenhearthatitisoldchurchmusic,whatweusedtocall

plainchant,voiceschantingandsinging.

There is a length of rope neatly coiled, hanging from a hook next to the

wheel,anditseemsasthoughAidanandIhavethesameideasimultaneously.

Whilehe shutsthe dooras quietlyas hecan, Iloop the rope over thedoor

handleandstretchitastightlyasIcanroundthemetalhandrail.Icomeback

andloopitagain,andoncemoreroundthehandrail,finishingwithassecurea

knotasIcan.There’sabroadgrinonAidan’sfaceandheholdsuphisopen

palm.Idothesame,andhehitsmyhand,whichisstrangebutfun.

We have drifted quite a few yards out into the harbour by now, and the

swellistakingustowardsanotherboat.

‘Hey! Look out!’ we hear from the other vessel, and it turns to avoid a

collisionbyinches.‘Youidiots!There’sastormcoming!’

A couple of hundred yards away, a boat with a little engine is puttering

towards Roxy, and clusters of people have gathered on the pier and on the

jetties.

TherewasneverahopethatwewouldgetveryfarwithoutrousingJasper.

Anysignificantmovementwouldalerthim,sowejusthavetogetonwithit.

Iforonehavenothingtolose.IfIhavetosailtoCoquetIslandwithJasper

heldprisonerinhisownboat,well…thatiswhatIamgoingtodo.

ItisnotasthoughIhaveanychoice.

We had planned – if ‘plan’ is the right word – to get out of the harbour

undersailpower,butthekeyintheignitionmeanswecanusetheengine,soI

turnit,anditpowersup.Isteertheboattowardstheopensea.

Andthenwehearit.

‘Oi!Whattheblazesisgoingon?’

There is no window in the door that Uncle Jasper is rattling with all his

might.Hehasnoideawhoisstealinghisboat.

Howlongwilltheropeholdthedoorshut?Canhebreakthedoordown?

How long until we reach theisland? We havenot yetcleared thetwo piers

andthereisatleastanothermiletogo–andthenwhat?Ontheislandthereis

noharbour,nopier,nonothing.Wherewillweland?

Perhapstheplancouldhavebeenpolishedalittlemore.

TogetherAidanandIhaulupthemainsail,and,beforeitishalfwayup,the

windhascaughtitandtheboatlurchesstronglytooneside.Igrabthewheel,

Aidansecuresthesailandinsecondswearecuttingthroughthesilverwater

andheadingfortheopenseawithbreathtakingspeed.

‘WhatinthenameofGodAlmightyareyoudoing?Ihopeyourealisethe

seriousnessofyourcrime,youthievingscum!’

Ihavenoideahowlongthedoorwillhold.Itisnotlookinggood.

IalmostfeelsorryforJasper.Thesheerpanicinhisvoiceshowsthat

he’s terrified. There he was, relaxing on his boat, listening to some

musiconhisheadphones,whensuddenlyhe’slockedinand–sofar

asheknows–kidnapped.

Alfie,though?Alfieisascoolasyoulike.It’sasifhe’sgotonething

todo,andnothing–nothing–isgoingtostophim.He’ssteeringthe

boat,jawtight,eyesscrewedup,peeringthroughthegatheringrain.

I don’t know how fast we’re going. Boat speeds are measured in

knots,andI’venoideahowbigaknotis.Lookingatthewaterrushing

pastus,though,we’re goingatleast as fastas a carin a town.The

windisdeafeningandthesailisahugewhitecurve,filledcompletely.

We’reinluckwiththewind:it’scomingstraightoffthelandandtaking

theyachtdirectlytotheisland.We’llbethereinamatterofminutes.

‘Hello?Hello?ThisisDeltaFoxtrotOneNiner.DeltaFoxtrot…’

It’sJasperontheradio.He’sscreamingforhelp.

‘Hello – do you read me … is that Dave? Dave! Are you in the

lookout? It’s Jasper Hooke. My boat’s been stolen, looks like we’re

headingstraight forthe island,and I’mon board,trapped below. I’ve

been kidnapped, Dave. Call out the coastguard. Call the police! Call

anyone!Over.’

Dave’svoicecracklesback.

‘Coastguard just returning from an abortive mission, Jasper. Hoax

call,wereckon.Blimey–isthatyououtthere?You’llwintheAmerica’s

Cupgoin’atthatpace,Hookey.Get’emtoturnround–it’snotsafe.

Over.’

‘Ican’t,youidiot,I’m…I’mkidnapped.They’renotgonnaturnround

just because I ask politely! Call the coastguard station; tell them to

diverttherescueboattotheislandandinterceptus!Over!’

‘Who’skidnappedyou,Jasper?’

‘Idon’tknow,Dave!I’mlockedin,Ican’tseethem.’

‘Theymaybearmedorsummat,Hookey.’

‘For heaven’ssake, Dave! They may also have a man-eating tiger

withthemforallIknow.Justdosomethingbeforethisthingcapsizes

withmeinit.Overandout!’

Therearefootstepsonthestairsleadingtothedoor,followedbya

loudbangingashetriesthedooragain.

‘Let me out! You’re gonna be in so much trouble. This is piracy.

You’llhangforthis!’

Thenit goes quiet. It’s an uneasy silence,as ifthe silenceitself is

planningsomething.Thesteelywaterisrushingpastthehull,andby

nowtherainiscomingatusalmosthorizontally,butthesailistaking

all of the wind and there’s a sweet spot in the wheelhouse where

everythingisdeadquiet.

IlookacrossatAlfieandhehasthisgrinspreadingacrosshisface

– the grin of someone in the grip of certainty – and it’s awesome! I

know then, at that precise moment, that – no matter what happens

with this boat, or with Jasper, or even with me – Alfie will succeed.

Despite my terror of everything that’s happening about me, I reach

acrossAlfieandflicktheswitchthatI’dseenJasperflickthatdayhe

tookmeandDadout.

Instantly the air is filled with unearthly music: the centuries-old

Gregorianchants.Forafewseconds–maybeaslongashalfaminute

–wesailingloriouspeace,abandoningourselvestothewind,tothe

sea,toourfate.

Then I see it, coming through the crack in the doorway: a small

knife, sawing at the rope that’s holding the door shut. In a matter of

seconds,itwillhavecutthrough.

Atthesametime,bouncingacrossthewavestowardsusataheck

ofaspeedistheAmblecoastguardrescueinflatable,theyellow-clad

figuresinsidegettingbiggerbythesecond.

Asistheisland.

We’re heading straight for it. The sea is so wild by now that the

rocksaren’talwaysvisible,but,whentheswelldrops,theretheyare:

hugeblackstoneslikewhale-backscurvingoutofthesurfaceandin

secondswe’llbesmasheduponthem.

‘Release the mainsail! That one there!’ shrieks Alfie, his voice shot

throughwithfear,andIunwraptheropefromthehooksasquicklyasI

can.Immediatelytheboomswingsround,thesailflapslooseandIcan

feel a lessening of the boat’s speed, but it’s still hurtling towards the

rocks under its own momentum. The rocks shield a little bay and at

anysecondwe’llbethumpingdownontothemlikethewaves,which

arethrowinguphugeplumesofwhitespray.

Alfieturnstheboat’swheelclockwiseasfastashecan;hishands

are a blur, and the boat lurches to the right. Meanwhile, in the

doorway, another strandof therope pingsapart asJasper continues

hisfranticsawing.

‘Youthievingrats!’hegrowls.‘WaittillIgetmyhandsonyou!’

‘Takethewheel!’shoutsAlfie,and,assoonasIdo,he’spullingoff

hissweaterandkickingoffhisshoes.

‘Whatthe…?’

Everything is happening so fast. At exactly the moment that Alfie

dives over the side into the churning sea, disappearing beneath the

surface,thefinalstrandofropesuccumbstothepressureofJasper’s

knifeandthedoorburstsopen.

Istarttoyell,‘Alfie!’butIdon’tgetpastthefirstsyllableandendup

justscreaming.

TheJollyRogerisstillcontinuingitsterrifyingprogresstowardsthe

land, when a huge swell from a wave lifts us up and away from a

massiveblackrock.Watercascadesoverthesideoftheboat,and,ifI

wasn’tclingingontothewheel,I’dbecastoverboard.

Seconds later, the yacht has righted itself, but with no wind in the

sailswe’reatthemercyoftheocean,whichwillsurelytakeusbackto

theloomingrocks.

Jasper,whohasnotevensaidanythingyet,grabstheropeattached

tothesail.It’slikeaninstincttosavehimselfandhisboat,tightening

the rope enough to give the sail some wind to work with and, as he

secures it to the metal hook again, the Jolly Roger begins an

agonising, slow curve away from the rocks. The wind is still howling

andtherainishammeringsohardintomyfacethatIcanhardlysee.

All the while, from the boat’s speakers, comes the monks’ slow,

harmoniouschanting.

There’s so much going through my head that I can’t even think

straight.

Themainthing,though,is:Alfie–whereishe?IsheOK?

Wipingtheseasprayandrainfrommyface,Itrytofocusonwhere

hemightbeinthewater,butIcan’tevenmakeoutwhereweare.In

the last few seconds, the boat has moved many metres away from

wherehedivedin.

Fiftymetres.That’sabouthowfarwearefromland.

Icanswimfiftymetres,I’mthinking.MostkidsIknow can swimat

leastfiftymetres.That’stwolengthsofTynemouthpool.Easy-peasy.

But in open water, in a North Sea storm? He doesn’t stand a

chance. It seems, though, that our little boat is out of immediate

danger. The rocks and the island are retreating, and still the holy,

hauntingmusicisblaring.

ThenJasper’snexttome,screaminginmyface.

‘WHATINGOD’SNAMEAREYOUDOING,AIDAN?’

The full answer to that is going to take much longer than I think

Jasperhastimefor,andI’mnotthinkingrationally.Ijustsay,‘Alfie!’

Jasperlooksatme,thenattheisland,thenatthecoastguardboat,

whichisnowonlyacoupleofhundredmetresaway.Hismouthgapes

openforasecondandheblinkshard.

‘Ohno.Ohno,no,no,no!’

With the boat under control, we’re out of immediate danger, and the

surgingswellofoceansubsidesforamomentortwo,asifthestormis

takingabreather.

Therescueinflatableisalongsideusnow.Therearethreepeoplein

it,wearingyellowoilskinsandbulkyorangelifejackets.

Themanatthefrontthrows arope,which Icatch andsecureto a

hook on the stern of the yacht. Pulling on the rope, he draws the

inflatablecloseenoughforhimtostepontotheshortmetalladderthat

hangsfromthesternand,haulinghimselfup,he’sintheboatwithus.

He’s huge with a grizzled grey beard and his name, WAYLAND G., is

printedonhisoilskinjacket.

‘Areyoutheonethatcalled?’heshoutstoJasper,forthewindisstill

noisy and the monks are still singing on the yacht’s music system.

‘What’stheproblem?Yousaidyouwereaprisoner!What’sgoingon?’

Thenhelooksatme.‘Nolifejacket?Areyoumad?Quick–goandget

oneon.’Hepointstoastoragelockerbeneaththeside-rail.

He obviously has no idea at all what’s happened. ‘Alfie!’ I shout.

‘He’sinthewater!’

The look on Wayland G.’s face is one of pure horror. ‘What?

Where?’Hespinsroundtolook,and,ashedoes,Jasperbargeshim

with all his strength and Wayland G. is sent staggering backwards

down the steps, landing in a stunned yellow heap inside the cabin.

Pushingpastme,Jasperheadstothebackoftheboat.

What?Ithink.

As Wayland G. staggers to his feet, I’m still trying to pull on a life

jacket.Jasperhasunhookedtheropesecuringtherescueboattothe

yacht.

Unencumbered by life jackets and oilskins, Jasper is much more

agile than the two crewmen in the inflatable. With his back to the

yacht,hehookshisarmsovertherailandliftsupbothfeettodelivera

hugedoublekickintothechestofthefirstman.Allhesaysis,‘Whoa!’

andthenhefallsbackwardsintothewater.

By now, Wayland G. is back up the steps. He pushes me roughly

asideandisonestrideawayfromgrabbingJasper,justasheletsgo

withhisarmsandlandsintherescueboat.

Whenhelands,thelittleinflatablerocksviolentlytooneside.Witha

cryof,‘No!’theremainingmanoverbalancesandplopsintothewater,

poppingtothesurfaceimmediatelylikeacork.

We’restillundersail,sowe’realreadyagooddistancefromwhere

the first man wentin, his yellow jacket clearly visible, bobbing inthe

water. Jasper has taken the controls of the rescue boat and is

speedingbacktowardstheisland.

Whatishedoing?

‘Canyousail,son?’shoutsWaylandG.tome.

Ishrugnon-committally.

‘Right. Release the mainsail; prepare to come about. Watch the

boom!’

I think we’re going to turn round and pick up Alfie and the people

overboard.IcanonlywonderwhatonearthwillhappenwhenJasper

catches up with Alfie. I think of the moment when he went after the

police car, claiming he wanted to comfort the lost boy. There’s

somethingelsegoingon,clearly.HeknowsAlfieandhe’safterhim.

Themonks’chant–mournfulandloud–stopssuddenlyasWayland

G.flickstheswitch,andonceagaintheonlynoiseisthewindandthe

sea.

‘Where’sthe OB?’ shouts Wayland G.‘The overboard– wheredid

heenterthewater?’

IscanthesurfacewhereAlfiewasswimming,butthere’snosignof

him.

Coldwaterneverusedtobotherme.WhenIwaslittle–thatis,properlylittle,

allthoseyearsago–coldwaterwasmoreorlessallwehad.Wewouldwash

init,and,whenweneededtowashallover,therewasalwaysthesea.

Andinthewinter,whentheseawastoocoldeventostandinandsplash

ourselves,Mamwouldwarmapotofseawaternexttothefire…

Yousee,allmythoughtsgobacktoMam–evennow,whenIamthrowing

myarmsovermyhead,oneaftertheother,tryingtoploughthroughthecold,

cloudywater,andswallowinggreatmouthfulsofsaltysea.

Itisnotfartotheshore,butittakesmefivestrokestomaketheprogressof

oneincalmerwater.Theoceanliftsmeupandswoopsmedownonmassive

waves,bringing mecloser to therocks thatwill split myskull. Likea wild

animal,Ikickmylegsmadlytogivemyselfextrapropulsion.

‘Swim,Alve,swim!’

I hear Mam in my head, urging me on. But I cannot swim faster, or

stronger,forthewavesandthecoldhavestolenmystrength;asIgetweaker,

they get stronger. Ilift myhead to takea desperate breath, and awave top

breaks in my face making me inhale another lungful of seawater. I am

chokingunderwater,andIbecomecertainthatthatiswhereIwilldie.Like

myfatherallthoseyearsago,Iwillbetakenbytheocean.

WhenIsink,thenoiseofthewavesstops.Thesoundofthewindhasgone;

everythingissilent,andpeaceful,anddark.Ifeelsomethingtouchmyarm:it

isthesand, and Iam beingdragged alongthebottombythe surgingwater,

andsurelyitwillonlybeafewsecondsuntilIcanfeelnothingmore…

‘Notyet,Alve,’saysMam.‘Notyet.’

Then, strangely, Mam’s imaginary voice becomes deeper and it is Rafel,

mycombatteacherfromsolongago.Hisvoiceisinthewaterallaroundme:

‘Remember,Alfie:youareatyourstrongestwhenyouareatyourweakest.

When your enemy thinks you are beaten, that is when to strike. Find force

fromfrailty,Alfie!’

Forcefromfrailty.

My feet are touching the sand, my legs are bent, and I know that if I

straightenthemtheywillpushagainsttheseabottom.Fromsomewheredeep

insideme,somewhereathousandyearsago,Ifindatiny,scrappyremnantof

strengthandwithafinalpushIthrustupwardstotheair.Halfasecondmore

and I would have taken a fatal lungful of water, but my mouth clears the

surface and I suck in a rattling, desperate breath that seems to contain my

wholelonglife.Thenawavepushesmeoveragain,butthistimemyknees

hit the sand and I realise I can stand up. I suck in more air and cough up

seawater, then another breath and I am on the beach, and I do not stop

staggering,walking,running–anythingtoescapethedevilishembraceofthe

ocean.

Breath.

Cough.

Run.

Breath.

Cough.

Run.

I have made it. I turn to look back at the water, the mighty foe I have

defeated.

Headingtowardsme,outbeyondtherocks,isaninflatableboatwithaman

atthehelm.

Jasper.

DesperatelyIlookacrossthewater,myeyesflickingleftandright.The

swellhaspickedupagainaswebringtheyachtround,tackingleftand

righttocatchthewind,andtheboatisrisingandfallingonthewaves.

‘Thereheis!’Iyell.

I point at the little beach on the island. A small, shirtless figure is

runningoutofthewhite-foamshallowsupthesand.He’smadeit.

ButJasperisintheinflatable,withacoupleofhundredmetrestogo.

Theswellisholdinghimback,buthe’lllandsoonaswell.

Wayland G. shakes his head in disbelief. ‘Crazy,’ he says. ‘Just

crazy.’

The yacht is getting close to one of the floating crewmen and

WaylandG.throwsoutaline.

I cannot take my eyes off Alfie, staggering and running and

stumblinguptherain-soakedbeach.

Isawadocumentaryontelevisiononce:alittleantelopewasbeing

huntedbyalioness.Itcouldn’trunfastenough,andthelionesskept

gettingcloserandcloser.

WatchingAlfiescrambleupthebeach,Ikeepthinking,Go,antelope,

go!

Iturn from Jasper, closing ininhis inflatabledinghy,and runupthe beach

towardsalong,drycave.

Thecave:theonewhereMamandIhidthepearl.

Ibarelynoticeanotherboatattheotherendofthebeach,pulledupontothe

drysand.Therearesomesmalltents,too,quiveringinthewind,andalarger

greencanvastent,exactlytheshapeandcolourofthelittleplastichousesina

gameofMonopoly.

The tents must belong to the archaeologists, although there is nobody

about. I conclude they have left their tools and tents and returned to the

mainland.

Istagger-runsomemore.Thecaveisgettingcloser.Ihavetostoptothrow

up, and I sink to my knees, bringing up a belly-load of seawater. Looking

backatthesea,therescueboatwithJasperinitisveryclosetotheshorenow.

Icanmakeouthisblackbeard.

Irunsomemore,andIamatthemouthofthecave.

Itstinks–anancientsmellofdryseaweed,saltanddeadseabirds.

Itisdarktoo.Onlyashortdistanceintothecaveitisalreadyhardtosee.I

blinkmyeyeshard,butitdoesnogood;Istumbleforward,hittingmybare

toesonjuttingrocks.

YetIknowexactlywheretheclayboxis.Attheverybackofthecave,it

sortofsplitsintoafork–oneforkisbarelyanarm’slengthdeep,andendsin

aslopeofsandstone.Theotherislonger:anarrowpassagealmostashighasI

am,andalmostaslong,thatendsinahugeboulder.

The boulder conceals a turn, a bend in the rock that no one could find

unlesstheyknewitwasthere.

OldPaulknew.Mamknew.Iknow.

Icansqueezemostofmybodyroundthebigboulder,thenIstretchoutmy

leftarm,andfeelashort,sandyledge,andthen…

Nothing.MybreathingquickensasIpatmyhandroundtheledge,andthe

rockbehindit.HaveIknockeditoff?Itisnotthere,forsure,andadreadful

fearbeginstoriseinme.

ThenIfeelacold,hardhandgrabmyotherwrist,andIcryout.

IturntofaceJasper.

ItisnotJasper.Inthedarkness,Icanmakeoutanolderwoman’sface,with

whitehair,anditisfamiliar.

‘Isoughtitvasyou,’shesays,andIrecognisetheGermanaccent.

ItisDrHeinz,theoldarchaeologistwhospokeatschool.

‘Quickly,’shesays,‘followme.’

‘Isziswhatyouarelookingfor?’

We are standing in the largest tent. Outside the wind is still rattling the

canvas, but inside it is calm, the tent fabric casting a greenish glow over

everything. A long trestle table is covered with boxes, and files, electrical

leads,devices withdials onthem, andtrowels and brushes.And lyingon a

square of folded cloth is the clay box, its coating of tallow, pine resin and

beeswaxdarkenedandcrackedwithage.

Inoddumbly.‘Itismymam’s.Mine,Imean.Ours.’Icannottakemyeyes

off it. I reach out my hand, but Dr Heinz steps between me and the table,

staringhardatme.

‘Itisincredible,’shesays.‘Butisittrue?’Sheistippingherheadfromside

toside,lookingatmefromeveryangle.‘Thevayyouspokethatday,inthe

school.Somesingmademe…wonder.’

Isaynothingbutshiverallover.Myteetharechattering.

‘Ach,poorboy, youare cold!Here!’ Shegives mea blanketfrom apile,

whichIwraptightlyroundme.

‘Your teachers told me about you, and the dreadfulsing zat happened to

you.Andso…I do alittle research,yes? The fire,you know?I amso, so

sorry. I looked in vebsites, officialrecords, yes? I discovered you and your

mother,Godresthersoul,arelivinginzathouseformany,manyyears,yes?’

I nod, and sink into a nylon camping chair next to the table. I am

exhausted.Icannotlieanymore.

‘ThelegendofzeNeverdeads:ithasalmostbeenforgotten,no?Butthere

waszatclue,hiddeninzewritingsofanoldDurhamBishop.’

Isigh.‘Walter.’

‘Youknewhim?’

I shrug, andthink back to Old Paul. ‘Not personally. But I think I know

whotoldhim.’

Fromquiteadistanceaway,outside,comesashout.

‘Alfie!Alfie!’

DrHeinzgasps.‘Thereisanotherperson?’

‘Shhh!’Wefallsilent.

‘Alfie!Idon’twanttoharmyou!Comeout!’

Peeringoutofthetentthroughthelaced-upentrance,IseeJasper,soaked

through,pacingup and downthe mouthof thecaveandshoutinginto it. A

faintechocomesbackfromwithin.

‘Alfie!Whereareyou?’

You…you…

He stops for a moment and looks about, his gaze finally settling on the

tents.IpullbackfromtheentranceandturntoDrHeinz.

‘He’scoming!Hidethepot!’

Shemovesquietlyandconfidently,placingthepotbeneathablanketinthe

corner of the tent, and standing upright at the moment the lace ties on the

front flaps are pulled apart and Jasper’s dripping, bearded face thrusts

through,hiswildeyesglintinginthegreenishgloomandhislong,too-white

teethbaredinagrinasifreadytobite.

‘Hello,Alfie!’hesays.

Itseemstobeonlyminutesbeforewe’resailingbacktowardsthetwin

piersatAmbleharbour.By‘we’,Imeanme,WaylandG.andthetwo

otherguys thatJasper sentfor aswim.The inflatablerescue boatis

towedbehindus.

Atthewheelof ourboat, WaylandG.givesthecommand tolower

the sails and he starts up the engine for an easy steer back to the

marina.Heisnotbeingfriendly.‘Getdownthere,son,andstaythere

tillItellyou,’hegrowls,pointingtotheinsidequartersoftheyacht.The

stormseemstobeblowingout.Atanyrate,it’sstoppedraining.

Ioverhearhimtalkingwiththeothertwo.

‘Scramble the helicopter from Bamburgh … boy in immediate

danger…theftofHMcoastguardvessel…’

Hecomesdownthestepsandglaresatme.‘Doesthisthingwork?’

hesays,pointingattheboat’sradio.

‘I…Idon’tknow.’

Heflicksaswitch.Thesamemusicblaresout.

‘Alleluia!’

Heswearsunderhisbreathandswitchesitoff.‘Nopointinradioing,’

hesays.‘We’retwominutesfromtheharbour,anyway.’Heturnstome

and says through clenched teeth, ‘I hope for your sake, bonny lad,

you’vegotagoodexplanationforallthis.’

Iswallowhard.

I have an explanation, but whether it matches anyone’s idea of a

‘good’oneisdoubtful.

There’sa police carwaitingat theharbourwhen wedock.Asmall

crowd has gathered. As I get off the boat, a policewoman comes

forwardandtakesmyarmgently.

‘Comeon,youngman.Intothecarwithyou.’

The drive to the police station in Amble is only about two hundred

metres. It’s a new, low building the same colour as the sand on the

beach.Insideitsmellsoffreshpaint.

IcanhearRoxy’svoiceonthephone.

‘Idon’tknow,Mum…Iknowthat,Mum,it’sjustthat…yes,Mum…

Ithinkhe’sherenow…bye,Mum,loveyou.’

I’mshownintoaplainroomwithadesk,alowbeigesofaandcream

walls. Roxy leaps up from the sofa. There’s a lady, not in uniform,

sittingwithher,holdinganotebook.

‘Aidan!’

Roxydashesforwardandthrowsherarmsroundme,whichIwasn’t

expecting,andIsortofstandthereawkwardly,beingsqueezedbythis

tinygirl.‘Iwassoworried!Ithoughtyou’dsunkanddrowned!’

There’s something a bit odd about Roxy’s behaviour, and I can’t

quiteputmyfingeronit.

‘Itoldyoutobecareful,didn’tI?’saysRoxy.

And then I do: she’s acting. Again. I have to bend down a bit to

returnherhug,andwhenIdoshewhispersinmyear.

‘Youwerejustmessingaboutonyouruncle’sboat.Allanaccident.’

That’sallthere’stimefor,otherwisetheladyonthesofamighthave

gotsuspicious.Shestandsup.

‘Aidan.’Shesoundsserious.‘I’mDetectiveSergeantSimm,andyou

havegotsomeexplainingtodo.’

PerhapsnowiswhenIhavetolearntobebetteratlying.CanIjust

say,atthispoint,thatifyouwanttolearnhowtolieconvincingly,don’t

practise with a police officer? For a start, they are very good at

spottingliars,andbesides–youshouldalwaystellthetruth,anyway.

Thatsaid,hereisthebigfatlieItelltothepolice.

I sit in a room with a uniformed officer, and Detective Sergeant

Simm. I am not, apparently, ‘under arrest’. I’m just ‘answering

questions’.

Wefanciedanadventure,Isay.

WecaughtabustoAmble.

WhileRoxywentforaswim,AlfieandIcheckedoutUncleJasper’s

boat.

Weunmooredit,andonlymeanttotakeitoutintotheharbour,but

thewindpushedusinthewrongdirection.

We hadn’tknown thatUncle Jasper waspassed out, drunk,in the

cabin.

No,itdoesnotsoundconvincing.

WaylandG.andtherestofhiscrewwouldbetellingaverydifferent

story.Thetruestoryofaboydivingoffaboatintoastormysea,anda

bearded madman assaulting coastguard volunteers, and stealing an

inflatablerescueboat…

Thenthere’sMumandDad todeal with.They’re ontheir waywith

PreciousMinto.It’sallgoingtobeverydifficult.Idonotfeelwell.

‘MayIhaveaglassofwater,please?’Isay.DSSimmgetsupand

leavestheroom,andIamleftalonewiththepolicemaninuniform.

Neither of us says anything, and in the silence I hear a helicopter

overhead.

‘’ScomefromBamburgh,thathas,’saysthepoliceman.‘They’llbe

pickin’upyourmate.’

Therainhaseasedtoadrizzle.DrHeinzhasopenedthetentflapstoletthe

lightin,andshe,JasperandIsitincampingchairsroundthetrestletable.We

havenochoice.Imeanwhatelsearewegoingtodo?Fighthim?

Noonesaysanythingforages.FinallyJaspertakesadeepbreathandsays:

‘It’sbeenawhile,Alve.’

‘Youcouldsaythat.’Iamtryingtobe‘cool’,butinsidemethereisastorm

justasviolentastherealonethathasjustpassed.

Jasper is sitting opposite me at a wooden table in a tent on a tiny,

windsweptisland.

He clasps his hands, as if in prayer, and speaks slowly. ‘A long while to

findwhatisrightfullymine.’

‘Yours?’

Henods.‘Indeedmine.Untilyourfatherstoleitfromme.’

Thisisanunexpecteddevelopment.‘Hewonitinbattle,’Isaywithsome

force.

Jasper shrugs. ‘Same thing. He and his … his gangattacked me and my

men.Isurvived,buthetookthebiggestprize.Icallthattheft.’

IsthisthestorythatMamtoldme?

‘You and your men were raiding an undefended village, and my valiant

fatherfoughtyouoff.Ifyousurvivedthenthatmeansmyfathershowedyou

mercy.Youshouldbethankful.’

DrHeinzinterrupts.‘Vait!Vait!Whenwaszishappening?’Webothturnto

her.Ithinkwehadalmostforgottenshewasthere.

‘Aboutelevenhundredyearsago,’repliesJaspercalmly,andshegasps.‘A

bitmore,actually.Ihavesuspectedthelife-pearlwashere,onCockettIsland,

formanyyears.ButIneverknewwhereexactly.BelievemeIhavelooked.I

would return every few decades. I lost track of you and your mother and I

thoughtmaybeitwaslostforever.Maybeyouhadtakenit.Maybeyouwere

bothdead.’

‘Andthenyoufoundme.’

‘Ifoundawife.Shehadanephew.Whohadafriend.Whowasyou.’

Thereisanotherlongpause,andthenweallturntolookoutsidethetentat

thesametime.Thereisafaintthap-thap-thapsoundcomingfromthesky.Dr

Heinzsays,‘Ahelicopter.’

Soonitwillland.Policewillgetoutandafterthat…whoknows?

Thisismyonlychance,andmyeyesflicktowheretheclayboxis.

Bigmistake.

‘Over there, is it?’ asks Jasper, almost whispering. ‘That lump under the

blanket?’Hestandsup,and,inoneswiftmovement,whipstheblanketaway,

revealingthebox,whichheseizesinbothhands.

‘Stop!’criesDrHeinz,gettingtoherfeet.

‘Orwhat,oldlady?’Hedoesnotlookather;hiseyesaregreedilyfeasting

ontheobjectinhishands.

‘Jasper,please!’Isay.‘Thinkaboutit.Youareaman.Ihaveneverhadthe

chancetogrowup.’Iampleading.

‘Whenyourfatherstolethisfromme,therewerefivelivperlerleft–isthat

what you call them, still? Your father used one, your mother too, and you.

That should mean that there are two remaining, should it not? That would

havebeenoneeach.’

Mythroattightens.

‘Butyouwastedone,didyounot?Youwastedoneonacat!’

Igasp.‘Itwasanaccident!’Iamclosetotearsnow.‘Iwasyoung,Iwas…

Iwasstupid.’

‘Indeedyouwere,Alve.Indeedyouwere.’

‘Howdidyouknow?Aboutthecat?’

Jasper grins. ‘I did not. You just admitted it. It was a hunch: there were

plentyofstoriesaboutawomanandhersonandtheircat.Ijustputtwoand

twotogether,andyouhavejustgivenmetheanswer.’Hepausesandspitsout

thewordagain.‘Acat?Anyonesostupiddeserveseverythingtheyget.’His

eyesburnwithdementedfury.

Then,withoutwarning,hesmashestheclayboxontothewoodentableand

itcracksapart,thehardenedresinshattering.DrHeinzgivesalittleshriek.

There,nestledinatightbundleofsheep’swool,isasmallglassball.The

lastremaininglife-pearlintheworld.

‘Canyouimaginewhatthisisworth?’saysJasper,teasingthewoolapart

withhislong,bonyfingers.‘ThefortuneIshallbeabletomake?’

Myjawdropsopen.‘Y-youmeanyoudonotwantitforyourself?’

Jasper grins his sickly grin. ‘I am certainly not going to use it. What on

earthdidyou think?Are youquitemad,littleman? Modernscience should

havelittledifficultyanalysingtheliquidinside.Righthereisasecretthathas

been lost for athousand years. Death overcome, doyou see?The power to

liveforever.’Hiseyeswidenmanically.

DrHeinzshakesherheadandsayssoftly,‘Wearenotmeanttoliveforever.

Itisagainst…againsteverysing.’

Jasperturnshisheadandsayswithfakedsurprise,‘Oh!Areyoustillhere?

Why?’

In the split second that his attention is distracted from the pearl of glass

beforeus,Igrabit.Jasper’shandistooslow,andIinstantlytosstheglassball

intomymouth.Hiseyeswideninhorror.Iamtryingtoswallowit,butIjust

cannot:the saltwater,the retchingandcoughing –mythroat isswollenand

dry.

‘NO!Youlittledevil!’

Hereachesoutandgrabsmebythethroatwithbothhands.‘Spititout,you

sonofacoward!Sickitupnow!Godhelpme,I’llkillyou,youlittlefiend,

justlikeIkilledyourfather!’

Thisisterrifyingandpainful,andhisstronghandssqueezemyneckharder.

Didhejustsay,likeIkilledyourfather?

I am struggling to breathe, and my head is swimming and his words are

bouncingaroundinmyhead,whenoutofthecornerofmyeyeIseeDrHeinz

liftingupaspadeandwithanalmightywhackshebringsitdownontheback

ofJasper’sskull.

Now,whenthatsortofthinghappensinfilms,thenoiseisusuallyacrack,

oraclangiftheweaponismetal.Inreallife,Icantellyouitisnotlikethat.It

isjustaveryloudthud.

Also in films, the recipient of such a blow will instantly be rendered

unconscious.Hewillslumptothefloor,jobdone.

HewillnotdowhatJasperdoes,whichistocryout,‘OOOWW!Youfilthy

oldwitch!’

He spins round in anger, but Dr Heinz is holding him at bay, the spade

pointingforwardlikeaspear.Iusethedistractiontodashoutofthetentand

upthebeach.Asteeppathleadsfromthesanduptoalargeareaofdrygrass

at the top of the cliff,and Iscramble upthis toget awayfrom him,but he

followsme,bellowingcursesinalanguageIhaveneverevenheardbefore.

Itwashim.Ontheboat.Themanwiththebeardwhoshoutedatme.And

who pushed Da overboard.My breathis raspingin mythroat but I have to

keepgoing.

‘I’llcutyourfaceopenifIneedto,youhell-dog!’

Something glints in the light –a largeknife in his hand –and Ihave no

doubtatthatmomentthathemeanswhathesays.

Aboveus,thehelicopteriscircling.IneedtokeepawayfromJasperjust

long enough for it to land on the grass. How much time will that take?

Anotherminute?

Thestonesofthepatharelooseandtheycrumbleawaybeneathmybare

feetasIscramblehigherupthecliffface.ButJasperisbigger,strongerand

hasnotjustcompletedamassiveswim.

Iamexhausted,andheisgettingcloser.

Threepacesmore,two…

I try to reach for a tuft of grass at the top of the cliff path, and I feel

Jasper’shandgrabmyankle.

Iscreamout,‘No!Getoff!’butIambeingdraggedback,and,asIopenmy

mouth to scream, the life-pearl pops out. I see it arc through the air and

bounceoffarock.Itrollsbackdownthepath,comingtorestbelowme,just

beyondmyreach.

With a desperate lunge, I extend my free arm, but I cannot stretch far

enough.

Jasper has seen it but he cannot reach it, either. Above me, my fist has

foundathickroottoholdonto,andIhavestoppedslippingback.

Andtherewestayforafewseconds.Mehangingontotheroot,withmy

face pressed into the cliffside, and Jasper gripping my ankle. But we are

unsteady.OneofJasper’sfeethasnothingtosupportit.Oneslipandwewill

bothtumblebackontotherocks.

‘JustlikeIkilledyourfather…’

DoIcareifhedies?

Icanfeeltherootgivingwayaboveme,andwebothslipdownthe cliff

face,bringingJaspernearertothelife-pearl,butstillnotcloseenoughforhim

tograbit.

‘JustlikeIkilledyourfather…’

Thewordsechobackatmeasthoughfrominsideacave.

DoIcareifIdiewithhim?

When I dare to look down, he has the blade of the knife gripped in his

teeth,freeing up hisotherhand togripmy ankle. Theweightis pullingme

down,down,andIknowthattheendissecondsaway.

Desperatelymyfingersdigintothelooseearthnexttotheroot,scrabbling

foranewhold,butit’snouse.AsIslideback,I’mscreaming,‘No!’whenI

feelsomethinggripmythumb,andthenthewristofmybandagedarm.The

agonyissearing,butIcannotevenscreaminpain,Iamsoterrified.

‘I’vegothim!’Ihearfromabove.‘Comeon,son.I’vegotyou!’Ilookup

intothefaceofaman–policeofficer,coastguard,soldier?Idonotknow,but

Iambeingpulledapart:Jasperatmyankleandthismanwhonowhasbothof

mywrists.TheweightofmeandJasperispullinghimovertheedgeaswell.

With a frantic kick, my foot comes free. Jasper is hanging on with one

hand,hisfeetfranticallytryingtogainagriponthesteep,pebblypath.

IfIwriggletoohard,thecoastguardwillbepulledoverthelipofthecliff

andallthreeofuswillfall,soinsteadIkickmyfoottowardsthecliffface

againandagain,crushingJasper’shand,untilIhearacurseandfeelhisgrip

loosen.

Buthedoesnotfall.Spreadeagledagainstthecliffface,histoesrestingon

a grassy tuft, Jasper is panting hoarsely and he looks up, with panic in his

eyes,asI’mpulledtosafety.

‘Helpme!’hegasps.

Thereisnotimeforthemanwhopulledmeuptodoanythingbutcheck

that I am safe, then turn his attention back to Jasper, hanging on to the

cliffside. Another man is running from the helicopter, but it will take him

severalsecondstogethereandJasperdoesnothavethatlong.

Ileandownoverthecliffedge,thestonesandsharpgrassesmakingnew

scratchesonmybare chest, andI stretchmy armout toJasper. I cannotlet

himfall.Murdererornot,Iamnotabouttoletsomeonedie.

‘No!Getback!’yellsmyrescuerbutJasperisreachingforme…

Reaching…stretching…

ThensuddenlyhiseyesarenolongeronmineandIfollowhisgazetothe

life-pearl,nestledinacrack.Itistoofarformetostretch,butJasper’seyes

arecrazedwithgreedanddetermination.

‘No,Jasper–youcan’treach,’Ishout.‘Takemyhandinstead!’

Ireallythinkforamomentthatheisgoingto.Buthecannotstophimself.

Withasmallgruntofexertion,hegrabstheknifefromhismouthandextends

it towards the life-pearl,dislodging it fromthe crack. In one movement,he

drops the knife and grabs the pearl in his fist. But Jasper’s greed has

overbalancedhim.Heswaysbackwards,croaking,‘Ah…no…ah…no…’

BothmyrescuerandIarenowleaningoverthecliffedge,tryingtoreach

him. Jasperstretches out his hand – managesto touch mine. I feel the life-

pearl between our palms. Is he giving it to me? It is hard to tell. Our eyes

meet,butIcan’tgetapropergriponhishand,andhisweightistopplinghim

backwards.

Icannotwatch.IknowIcannotholdhim,andIscrewmyeyesshutashe

slipsaway.Hedoesnotevenscream.

Icannotlookdown.

ThenIhearasickening,dullthumpontherocksbelow.

Thereare twomen aboveme now, andthey haulme tothe safetyof the

levelgrass.

Iamtrembling,shivering,shakingandsobbing, sucking ingreat lungfuls

ofairwhilethemanhugsmeandrocksmelikeMamusedto.

MyfistsareclenchedtightandinonehandIcanfeeltheglassballpressing

intomypalm.

Iamheld strongly bymyrescuerwho keeps saying,‘Shh, OK,son,shh,

you’reOK,son.’

And,forthefirsttimesinceMamdied,IthinkImightbe.

ThehelicopterhastakenJaspertothebighospitalinCramlington.Theywill

comebackinaboutanhour,theysaid.IamleftwithDrHeinz,whohasmade

hottinnedsouponherlittlecampingstove,replacedthedressingonmyarm,

cleaned up the scratches on my chest with stuff from her first-aid kit, and

wrappedmeupinablanketagain.Allthewhile,Iamclutchingthelife-pearl

tightly.Iamnotsureifshehasnoticed.

Dr Heinz and I sit in the canvas chairs, drinking our soup and saying

nothing.Idonotreallyfeelliketalking,andIsupposesheunderstandsthat.

Iamstartledwhenhermobiletelephonerings.DrHeinzstepsoutsidethe

tent,butIcanheareverythingshesays.

‘Ah!Prudence,mydear…Vell,Ican’treallytalk,Ihaveavisitorhereon

ze island, and I shall tell you all about it soon, but it has been a werry

dramaticmorning…’

IguessthatthisisPru,theladysheliveswith.ThereisapausewhileDr

Heinzlistens,andthen:

‘Oh really? Vere? Ach, the poor pussycat … vill she eat anysing? Nein?

Herteeth?Achschade!Thatissapity…thenyes,Iagree,mydear,perhaps

thatisthekindestsing…’

Ihaveleapttomyfeet,discardingtheblanketandspillinghotsouponthe

sandyfloorofthetentasIrushout.It’stheteeth:howmanycatshavehalfof

theirteethmissing?

‘That must be Biffa!’ I shout. ‘Give me the telephone!’ I grab it without

waitingandalmostyelldownthephone,‘Issheblackwithpatchesofwhite

onherneck?’

Ontheotherendoftheline,IhearPru’sratherstartledvoice.‘Er…yes,

sheis.Whoisthis,please?’

‘Iamsorry.MynameisAlfieMonkandIthinkyouhavefoundmycat.Is

shealive?’

‘Well,yes…butsheisveryweak.I’msorrytosaythatIreallydon’tthink

shewillsurvive.Thekindestthingisto…’

‘No!Don’tletherdie!Sheisathousandyearsold.’QuitewhatPrumakes

ofthatlaststatement,Idonotknow,butshespeaksgently.

‘Alfie,love,shewon’teatanything.It’shopeless.’

‘Crab!’Isay.‘Anythingwithcrabinit.Thatisherfavourite.Tinnedcrab,

freshcrab,crabpaste…anything!’

‘I…I’lltry,Alfie,love,butIreallydon’tthink…’

Herlastwordsaredrownedoutbythethwap-thwap-thwapofthehelicopter

returningtotakeusbacktothemainland.

Aswegetintothehelicopter,DrHeinzputshermouthclosetomyearand

shoutsabovethenoise:‘Yoursecretissafevithme,Alfie,’andshesqueezes

my shoulder. She smiles to herself for the whole of the short helicopter

journey,lovingtheadventure.

Ilookoutofthewindowatthepuffinsswoopingbelowus,thencatchsight

ofmyreflectioninthehelicopterwindow,andIamsurprisedtoseethatIam

smilingtoo.

Questions.

People.

Peopleandquestions.Everyonewantstoknowjustwhatonearthhasbeen

goingon.

Youcannotblamethem,onlythetruthwouldnotwork,wouldit?

Aidan’sparents,andLibby,andPreciousMintohavearrivedinPrecious’s

old Ford Fiesta. Sangeeta is there too, and Dr Heinz: all of us in the little

policestationatAmble.

Nobody,itseems,canworkoutwhattodo.

AidanhasstucktothelinethatJasperwentabitloopywhenhefoundus

onhisboat.Hiscalltothecoastguardaboutbeingtrappedinthecabinmust

havebeen‘ajoke’.Jasperisinacomainhospitalandcannotcontributetothe

argument.

Nobody–sofar–hasconnectedRoxytothefakecallregardingherdadon

awindsurfer.

Mystoryisthat,inafurythatwehadboardedhisboat,Jasperchasedme

ontotheislandandpursuedmeupthecliffpath,wherehestumbledandfell

thirtyfeetontotherocksbelow.

Doesitmakesense?

Well,itiscertainlyeasiertobelievethanthetruth.BesidesIamfindingit

hardtoconcentrateonanythingexceptBiffa.

DrHeinzadoptsanairofbewildermentand–Iamcertain–exaggerates

herGermanaccenttosoundevenmorepuzzled.Ithinksheistryingtoprotect

mefrommorequestions.

‘Vot iss zis all about?’ she keeps saying. ‘I vos peacefully in mein tent

sitting,undzenzerevosallziskerfufflen,mithelicoptersundeverysing.Ach

meinGott…’andsoon.Itrusther.

Weareallinandoutofinterviewrooms,withpoliceofficers.Ihavebeen

givensomespareclothestowear,andthelife-pearlissafeinmypocket.Iam

staringoutofthewindowduringalull,worryingaboutBiffa,whenSangeeta

comesoverandsitsdownonthehardsofanexttome.

Shemurmurs,‘YouknowIdon’tbelieveawordofthis,don’tyou,Alfie?I

havenoideawhat’sreallygoingon,butIknow–inmyheart,Ijustknow–

that youare not tellingme the fulltruth. Or evenpart of thetruth, for that

matter.’

I look at her, really look at her, and I feel sorry. Sangeeta has not been

unkind.Inod.‘Iunderstand.’

Shelaughssoftly.‘Youunderstand!Ithinkyouunderstandalot,Alfie.’

‘Canwegosoon,Sangeeta?Ineedtoseemycat.’

Aboutanhourlater,thestationinspectorarrives.Itisherdayoffandsheis

notinuniform.Shedecidesthatnoarrestswillbemadetoday,andweareall

tobereleased‘pendingfurtherinvestigations’.

TurnsoutJasperHookewasknowntothelocalpolice,althoughIdonot

knowwhatfor.Knownenough,though,forInspectorMacAllantoatleastbe

inclinedtobelieveus.

By7pm,weareonourwayback.

Apparentlymobiletelephonesarenotverywater-resistant,whichIthinkis

odd given that you all use them so much. Anyhow mine was in my shorts

whenIdivedofftheJollyRogeranditisnowruined.

IturntoSangeeta,whoisdrivingandwhohasbeenveryquiet.

‘May I borrow your mobile telephone, Sangeeta? I should like to send a

textmessage.’

‘Whoareyoutexting?’

‘Oh,justRoxy.’

Sangeetapressesabuttontounlockhertelephoneandhandsittome.Itis

differentfrommine,buteventuallyImanagetocomposeatext:

DearRoxy,

PleasecometoDrHeinz’shouseat8pmtonightwithAidan.

Yourssincerely,

Alfie

WhenIhavepressedthebuttonmarkedSEND,Iputmyhandbackintomy

pockettocheckforthereassuringpresenceofthesmall,smoothlife-pearl.

Iamexpectingthehousetosmellofcats,butitdoesnot.Notatall.Thethree

ofusaregreetedatthedoorbyDrHeinz.

‘Isink…’shesays,‘IsinkitshouldbeAlfieonhisownwhocomestosee

hiscat.Idonotvanttodisturbher.’

Ishakemyhead.‘Theyarepartofthisaswell,DrHeinz.’

‘Ach,callmeSue.Everyoneelsedoes!’

Andsowegoin,andinthebackroomisacatbasket,andlyingonitisa

cat. My cat. Me and Mam’s cat. Skinny, with some patches of fur missing,

andacrookedtail…butitisdefinitelyBiffa.

Andsheisalive,foundnear-starvingbyPrudenceinthealleywaybetween

our houses. Next to her is an empty food bowl. Straightaway Isink tomy

kneesandburymyfaceinherneck.Sherespondsbytwitchinghertailand

makingherstrange,vocalmewling.

‘Youwererightaboutthecrab,’saysPru,whoisstandingabovemewitha

soppysmile.‘Sheateitall.’

Iwanttosaythankyou.Iwanttosaysomething,butIcannot,forifIdoI

willstarttocry.Withsadnessforeverythingthathashappened,withsorrow

forBiffa’ssuffering,withhappinessthatIhaveherback,withrelief,with…

Everything.

Ilookupandsmilebroadlytostopmyselffromcrying,andthenlowermy

headagainintoBiffa’sfur,whichsmellsofwoodsmoke,andcaves,andship’s

tar,andseaspray,andcenturiesandcenturiesofMam.Iscratchherearsand

tellheragainandagaininouroldlanguagehowmuchIhavemissedher.

IdonotknowhowlongIstaythere,but,whenIlookupagain,DrHeinz,

Prudence, Roxy and Aidan have all gone; it is just me and Biffa: the

thousand-year-oldboyandhisthousand-year-oldcat;andIknownowhowI

willdotheoneremainingthingthatIneedtodo.

The people on the Metro do not even look up when I get on, carrying a

rucksackwithwoodinit,andapet-carrierwithacatinit.

Theyallkeeponstaringattheirmobiletelephones,whichseemstobethe

modernway.Alittlewhileago,Iwouldhavebeengladthatnobodynoticed

me;nowIamnotsosure.Eitherway,afteracoupleofstops,Itakeoutmy

‘phone’aswell.(Sangeetaboughtmeanewone,anditplaysfilms!)

IthinkabouthowamazedMamwouldbeateveryonetravellingsofastto

placesthat–notsolongago–mighthavetakenawholedayormoretowalk

to.

Sheiswithmeallthetime,isMam.Notjustinmyhead,andinmyheart,

butinmymobiletelephone.Roxyhasgivenmea‘digitalcopy’ofafilmshe

wastaking(secretly)thedaywefirstmet.IthasMam’svoice,herface,her

hands,ouroldhouse.ItmademesadthefirsttimeIsawit,butnowitmakes

mesmile.

The Metro trundles on. South Gosforth, Ilford Road, West Jesmond … I

keep looking up at the diagram on the side of the train, counting off the

stations.Sixteentogo.LotsofpeoplegetoffandonatNewcastle,thenthere

isalongsectionwhenwegoundertheRiverTyne.

TheTeen,Ithink.

Not long now, I think, as I look at the picture of Mam on my phone. A

youngmanoppositegivesmeafunnylook.DidIsayitoutloud?Ohwell.

Pelaw,Hebburn,Jarrow.IsmileandrememberJohannes,andOldPaul.We

areheadingbackalongthesouthsideoftherivernow,towardsthesea.There

isa stationcalled Bede, namedafter theold historian. Iknew anold monk

once who told me his great-great-grandfather had met Bede. The thought

makesmechuckle,andthemanoppositelooksupagain,nowconvincedIam

mad.

Finallytheendoftheline:SouthShields,wherethiswholethingbegan.

Itwasnotcalledthatthen,ofcourse.Idonotthinkitevenhadanamea

thousandyearsago.

IcomeoutofthestationwithBiffainhercarrier,andlookaroundme.Itis

oddtorealisethat,inathousandyears,Ihaveneveroncebeenbackhere.I

think, Gosh, it has changed, and then start laughing at myself. Properly

laughing,outloud.Themanfromthetrainwalkspastme,shakinghishead.

ButIdonotcare.

Itisallhousesandshops;everythingisthesedays.

Thebeachdoesnotchange,though,orthecliffs.Iknowthat,whenIseeit,

I will remember thelittle cavewhere my whole adventure began,so Istart

walking south, along the wide clifftop, and, when I gaze out over the flat,

iron-greysea,ItrytoimaginethatIambacktherewithmymam,andeleven

yearsold.Highabovemeseagullshover,andkittiwakesswoopinandoutof

their cliffside roosts. I am brought back to the twenty-first century by the

soundofamotorcarswishingpastonthedistantroad.

My rucksack has begun to dig into my shoulders, and Biffa is getting

heavy,butIdonotmind.OnIwalk,untilIcometoalittlesemicircularbay,

like a giant has taken a bite out of the earth. There is a concrete stairway

leading to the beach now; Mam and I had to carry our belongings down a

rockypath.

Even though it is summer, the bay is deserted. The cave is unchanged,

althoughtherearesignsthatpeoplehavebeenhere:emptybeercans,mainly.

I let Biffa out of the pet carrier. Normally she would go and explore;

instead she sniffs the air andplods overto therocky shelfwhere she made

herselfcomfortableallthoseyearsago.Shecannotremember,surely?Onthe

other hand, if I can remember, maybe she does too. She mewls loudly and

settlesdowntowatch.

Frommybag,Itakethewood,abigwaxfirelighterandsomematches.I

thoughtaboutdoingittheoldway.Thelensesofmyspectacleswouldhave

workedtocreateaflameinthesamewayasDa’sfire-glass,buttodaythesun

isbehindasky-widewhitesheetofcloud.

Inamoment,thefireisflickeringtolife.

In the top section of my rucksack is a small square box: a tiny, battery-

operatedprojector–anotherfindfromRoxy’sskip-diving.Thesurfacehasa

deep scratch, and the audio does not work, which is perhaps why it was

thrownout,butitisotherwisefine.Ipushmymobiletelephoneintotheslot

andpressPLAY.

And there she is, life-size, on the ridged and rocky cave wall. My mam.

Biffayawnsandgivesalittlegrowlofapproval.

Bynow,myhandsaresweatingasIpullthelastitemfrommybag:Da’s

littlesteel knife. Frommypocket, Itakethe lastremaininglife-pearlin the

world:warmandsmooth.

IknowthefilmofMamsecondbysecond,andIlookupattheprojected

image.ThereisabitcomingupwhenMamlooksatthecameraandgivesa

littlenod.ThatisthebitIamwaitingforasIholdtheknifetotheflame.

Whenitcomes,Idonothesitate.Withtwoswiftslashes,Icutintothescars

on my arm, and crack open the life-pearl between my teeth. My heart is

racing,whichisprobablyagoodthing:itwillpropelthedropletsthroughmy

bodyallthequicker.Adropoozesout,whichIpourintothebloodywoundon

myarm.Anotherone,andanother.

Itstings,asitshould,likefreshnettles,asIwrapabandageroundmyarm.

Ihavedoneitexactlyright.IknowIhave,becauseonthecavewallMam

ismouthingthewords,Gother-swain,Alve.Goodboy,Alve.

Shesmileshergentle,gappysmileandthepicturefreezes.Whetheritisthe

amber liquid from the life-pearl, or just my imagination, I feel a warmth

coursingthroughme.Fromherstoneshelf,Biffarousesherself,stretchesand

hopsdown,wrappinghersoftfurroundmyankles,andIamhappierthanI

havebeenforathousandyears.

OneWeekLater

My cellular age test was done three days ago. It involved skin and blood

samplesinalittleroomatthelocalhospital.Theythensendoffthesamples

foranalysis.

Sangeetawent withme,andiswithmenowas wewaitforthedoctorto

comewiththeresults.

Afriendly-lookingladyapproachesuswithabrownenvelope.

‘Shallwegoin?’shesays,indicatingalittleconsultingroom.

‘No!’Iwanttosay.‘Justtellmenow!’Butwefollowher,andsitopposite

her,awoodendeskbetweenus.

‘Well,as you know,Alfie,’shebegins,‘therehasbeensomedoubt about

yourage.’

IglanceoveratSangeeta,whoisstony-faced.

‘Cellular tests such as we have carried out cannot be a hundred per cent

accurate,’ she says as she opens the envelope. ‘But we can say with near

certaintythatyourcellsrevealyouragetobe…’

Hereshelooksatthepaperinherhandandpausesasshepeersthroughher

glasses.Itisasifsheisdoingitdeliberately,tobuildsuspense,butIdonot

thinksheis.

‘…Betweenfourthousand…’

Wait.What?

‘…andfourthousandtwohundred…’

Whatisshesaying?

‘… days. Which is roughly between eleven years, and eleven years and

threemonths.Completelyconsistentwithyourstatedage,Alfie.’

Istartbackatschooltomorrow.

SixMonthsLater

Jasperdiedinhospital‘withoutregainingconsciousness’.

ItturnsouthewasratherrichanditallwenttoAuntyAlice:hehad

nootherrelatives.

Shehasbeen‘verygenerous’,Mumsaid,whichmeans,Ithink,that

ourmoneyworriesareover,forthetimebeingatanyrate.Mumhas

been promoted at the call centre and Dad has had loads of job

interviews. I expect we’ll be moving house again, just as the

redecorating has been completed. (‘No thanks to you, matey!’ said

Dad,buthewasjoking.Sortof.)

Ithastobeahousethat’sbigenoughtohavearoomforAlfie.Mum

and Dad are starting the process that will enable us to adopt him.

Sangeetahasbeenroundourhousealot,andotherpeopletoofrom

socialservices.It’salllookinggood.

Alfiewillbemyolderbrother.(Mymucholderbrother!)Andthere’ll

be a huge bookshelf to house a very special collection of Charles

Dickensbooks.

Libbyispleasedtoo,butmaybeshe’sjusthappythatwe’llgetBiffa.

InigoDelombra,bytheway,hasmovedschool.OnlytoMonkseaton

Highbutit’sfarenoughawayforme.Onhislastday,hecameupto

me and Alfie and said, ‘Linklater, Monk, what is it with you two?

There’ssomethingyou’rehiding,andit’sgonnabugmeforever.’

‘Forever,eh?’saidAlfie.‘That’salongtime,Delombra.Justsolong

asyou’reOKwiththat,’andwewalkedoff,leavingInigotostew.We

high-fivedwhenwewereoutofhissight.

And Roxy? Roxy’s just … Roxy. She’s taken to calling Alfie ‘old

chap’, as in ‘Good to see you, Alfie,old chap!’ It’s kind of funny but

onlyweunderstandthejoke.

Alfie’shadhisteethdone,andhe’sOK-looking.He’sjoinedRoxy’s

dramagroupandshesayshe’sverygoodatplayingoldmen.Funny

that.

Thanks to Sangeeta (who said she ‘called in some favours’),

PreciousMintohashadastairliftinstalled.She’sstoppedwalkingwith

sticks,andeveryfewdaysherloud,warblingvoicepenetratesthethin

walls,singinghymns.

‘Thinebethagloree,risenconquerin’son!

Endlessisthavict’rythouo’erdeat’hastwon!’

It is not at all tuneful, but Roxy says it’s the best thing she’s ever

heard.

Talkingofsinging…wewereinthecar,singingalongtoasongon

theradio(Alfiestillcallsitthewireless,whichishilarious),andhehit

this really deep note. A proper man’s bass note that went, ‘Oh

yeahhhh!’

Mumoverheardus.

‘Listen to you, Alfie!’ she said. ‘Your voice is breaking! You’re

growingup!’

I looked over at Alfie, and he gave a shy smile, and then blinked

really hard as if he was crying. But it’s hard to tell with Alfie, even

thoughhe’ssuchanoldfriend.



Thisisnota‘historicalnovel’.Norisitageographylesson,oralinguistics

guide. In other words: I made most of it up. References to historical dates,

placesandwordsinoldlanguagesareaccurateonlyinthesenseofbeing‘not

very’.

Asalways,Ioweahugedebttoalotofpeoplewhodonotgettohavetheir

names on the front cover, especially Nick Lake, my ever-patient editor;

Samantha Stewart; Jane Tait; Mary O’Riordan; and everyone else at

HarperCollins whose job is to make me appear to be a better writer than I

reallyam.

Tothemall:thankyou.



Anastonishingandfunnynovelaboutagirlwho–bydisappearing–will

writeherselfintoyourheartforever…

Twelve-year-oldEthelonlymeanttocureherspots,notturnherselfinvisible.

It’sterrifyingatfirst–andexciting–buttheeffectfailstowearoffandEthel

is thrown into a heart-stopping adventure as she struggles to conceal her

invisibilitywhileuncoveringthebiggestsecretofall:whoshereallyis.

BooksbyRossWelford

THE1,000-YEAR-OLDBOY

TIMETRAVELLINGWITHAHAMSTER

WHATNOTTODOIFYOUTURNINVISIBLE

AboutthePublisher

Australia

HarperCollinsPublishers(Australia)Pty.Ltd.

Level13,201ElizabethStreet

Sydney,NSW2000,Australia

http://www.harpercollins.com.au

Canada

HarperCollinsCanada

2BloorStreetEast–20thFloor

Toronto,ON,M4W,1A8,Canada

http://www.harpercollins.ca

NewZealand

HarperCollinsPublishers(NewZealand)Limited

P.O.Box1

Auckland,NewZealand

http://www.harpercollins.co.nz

UnitedKingdom

HarperCollinsPublishersLtd.

1LondonBridgeStreet

London,SE19GF

http://www.harpercollins.co.uk

UnitedStates

HarperCollinsPublishersInc.

195Broadway

NewYork,NY10007

http://www.harpercollins.com