her feel grown-up to think that he found some reassurance in her presence. And although it wasn’t far to the bag of stones, she understood the effort that it took for him to reach it. She saw it in the grimace on his face. When they got to it, she offered to reach down and pick it up for him, and he thanked her. They walked a little farther together, and after half a dozen steps he asked her to drop the bag, and she did.
‘Does it still count if you helped me?’ he asked, as they stood together.
‘I just walked with you,’ she said. ‘I didn’t carry you.’
‘You know,’ he said, ‘you kind of did. And we haven’t even been properly introduced.’
‘My name’s Amanda.’
‘I’m Charlie Parker.’
‘Winter. That’s my second name. Amanda Winter.’
‘Thank you, Amanda Winter. You just moved here, right?’
He turned back in the direction from which they’d come, and she turned with him.
‘Yes, me and my mom.’
‘What do you think of it?’
‘It’s pretty, but I miss my friends, and my grandma.’
‘And you’re not in school?’
‘I’ve been sick.’
‘Ah. I know what that’s like.’
‘What happened to you?’
‘You first.’
‘The doctors aren’t sure. I get real tired, and then I get sick, and it’s hard for me to move.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
‘It’s not so bad. I just miss a lot of school. What about you? Why are you sick?’
‘I had an accident.’
‘In a car?’
‘No. At home.’
‘In that house?’
She pointed to his roof in the distance, just visible over her own because the road ascended slightly to the south.
‘No, at another one. I’m just staying here while I get better. My real home is down in Scarborough. You know where that is?’
He was walking more confidently now. Maybe moving the bag of stones along, even just a little, had energized him.
‘Near Portland,’ said Amanda. ‘I’ve been there. To Portland, I mean. Not Scarborough.’
‘Did you like Portland?’
‘It was okay. We had ice cream.’
‘Beal’s?’
‘Maybe. It was down near the water, on a corner.’
‘Yeah, that’s Beal’s. They make good ice cream. I take my daughter there sometimes.’
‘You have a daughter?’
Again, Amanda returned to her dream. There was something about the girl she’d seen, something familiar …
‘Yes. She lives in Vermont with her mom.’
‘What’s her name?’
‘Samantha, but I just call her Sam. I think her mom calls her Samantha when she’s in trouble.’
‘My mom calls me Amanda Jane when she’s mad at me.’
‘You should treat it as a warning, like a siren going off, then run and hide.’
Amanda giggled.
‘How old is you daughter?’
‘Younger than you. Six now.’
‘Has she got blond hair?’ asked Amanda.
Parker stopped walking. He looked at her in a funny way.
‘Why would you ask that?’
She knew that she’d been careless, that she’d overstepped some line, so she lied, even though lying was wrong.
‘I just like blond hair, that’s all.’
She continued walking, and so did he.
‘No, she doesn’t have blond hair.’
‘Does she visit you?’
‘Like you, I’ve only just moved here, but she’ll be coming to stay very soon. I’ll introduce you, if you like.’
‘Sure.’
They kept pace with each other, talking about the sea, and birds, and the town, when Amanda’s mother appeared on the sand, walking quickly toward them.
‘Uh-oh,’ said Amanda. ‘I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.’
‘I bet she calls you Amanda Jane,’ he said, and even though her mother was trailing storm clouds, Amanda couldn’t help but laugh.
Her mother stopped when she was about five feet away from them, her arms wrapped around herself against the breeze.
‘Where have you been?’ she said. ‘I was worried.’
Not just worried, thought Amanda. You’re angry.
‘I was just walking,’ said Amanda. ‘And—’
‘I fell,’ said Mr Parker. ‘I fell on the sand, and I couldn’t get
‘Does it still count if you helped me?’ he asked, as they stood together.
‘I just walked with you,’ she said. ‘I didn’t carry you.’
‘You know,’ he said, ‘you kind of did. And we haven’t even been properly introduced.’
‘My name’s Amanda.’
‘I’m Charlie Parker.’
‘Winter. That’s my second name. Amanda Winter.’
‘Thank you, Amanda Winter. You just moved here, right?’
He turned back in the direction from which they’d come, and she turned with him.
‘Yes, me and my mom.’
‘What do you think of it?’
‘It’s pretty, but I miss my friends, and my grandma.’
‘And you’re not in school?’
‘I’ve been sick.’
‘Ah. I know what that’s like.’
‘What happened to you?’
‘You first.’
‘The doctors aren’t sure. I get real tired, and then I get sick, and it’s hard for me to move.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
‘It’s not so bad. I just miss a lot of school. What about you? Why are you sick?’
‘I had an accident.’
‘In a car?’
‘No. At home.’
‘In that house?’
She pointed to his roof in the distance, just visible over her own because the road ascended slightly to the south.
‘No, at another one. I’m just staying here while I get better. My real home is down in Scarborough. You know where that is?’
He was walking more confidently now. Maybe moving the bag of stones along, even just a little, had energized him.
‘Near Portland,’ said Amanda. ‘I’ve been there. To Portland, I mean. Not Scarborough.’
‘Did you like Portland?’
‘It was okay. We had ice cream.’
‘Beal’s?’
‘Maybe. It was down near the water, on a corner.’
‘Yeah, that’s Beal’s. They make good ice cream. I take my daughter there sometimes.’
‘You have a daughter?’
Again, Amanda returned to her dream. There was something about the girl she’d seen, something familiar …
‘Yes. She lives in Vermont with her mom.’
‘What’s her name?’
‘Samantha, but I just call her Sam. I think her mom calls her Samantha when she’s in trouble.’
‘My mom calls me Amanda Jane when she’s mad at me.’
‘You should treat it as a warning, like a siren going off, then run and hide.’
Amanda giggled.
‘How old is you daughter?’
‘Younger than you. Six now.’
‘Has she got blond hair?’ asked Amanda.
Parker stopped walking. He looked at her in a funny way.
‘Why would you ask that?’
She knew that she’d been careless, that she’d overstepped some line, so she lied, even though lying was wrong.
‘I just like blond hair, that’s all.’
She continued walking, and so did he.
‘No, she doesn’t have blond hair.’
‘Does she visit you?’
‘Like you, I’ve only just moved here, but she’ll be coming to stay very soon. I’ll introduce you, if you like.’
‘Sure.’
They kept pace with each other, talking about the sea, and birds, and the town, when Amanda’s mother appeared on the sand, walking quickly toward them.
‘Uh-oh,’ said Amanda. ‘I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.’
‘I bet she calls you Amanda Jane,’ he said, and even though her mother was trailing storm clouds, Amanda couldn’t help but laugh.
Her mother stopped when she was about five feet away from them, her arms wrapped around herself against the breeze.
‘Where have you been?’ she said. ‘I was worried.’
Not just worried, thought Amanda. You’re angry.
‘I was just walking,’ said Amanda. ‘And—’
‘I fell,’ said Mr Parker. ‘I fell on the sand, and I couldn’t get
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