paper.
I stare at the date. It’s impossible. I blink, but the figures stay the same. I am looking at a newspaper that comes out tomorrow.
How long have I been gone? I’ve got to speak to Conor. But the flood took his mobile phone, and he hasn’t got enough money yet for a new one. I’ve got to talk to Conor before I speak to Mum, so I’ll know what’s happening. If I’ve really been gone for a day and a half, then Mum will have contacted the police and the coast guard and everyone. But there’s no sign of that. The cottage is undisturbed. I remember what it was like after Dad disappeared, with neighbors and men in uniforms everywhere and phones ringing.
There’s not even a note for me on the table. Mum would have left a note, surely. She wouldn’t have just thought: Oh, well, Sapphy’s been gone for thirty-six hours, but no worries, I’ll go and have a bit of space with Roger.
I know for sure that Conor went to Rainbow and Patrick’s. They might know something. There’s a landline number for them somewhere, if their landline is back on yet after the flood….
It is. I find the number in our phone’s memory, and to my relief there’s a normal dial tone. After six rings someone picks up.
“Hello?”
It’s Rainbow.
“Rainbow? It’s Sapphy. Is Conor still with you?”
“Oh, hi, Sapphy.” Her voice is relaxed, friendly, unconcerned. “How are you? Are you coming over?”
“Um, no, not just now—listen, Rainbow, can I have a word with Conor if he’s there?”
“Sure, wait a minute, he was here a second ago—”
And I hear Conor’s voice in the background, “Rainbow, can I take the phone in the kitchen?”
The phone is passed over. I hear footsteps and the door shutting. He’s gone into Rainbow and Patrick’s little back kitchen. I hold the phone, listening. Conor doesn’t say anything at all, but I know he’s there because I can hear him breathing.
“It’s me,” I say at last. “Are you all right?”
“Am I all right?” says Conor quietly and furiously. “What do you think, Saph? You’ve been gone since yesterday.”
“I was fine, though, Conor, I was in—”
“I know where you were.”
“Conor—Mum, does she know?”
“She’ll be at work now. She thinks you’re here with me. I called her yesterday and said you’d decided to come down to Rainbow and Patrick’s and help out with the cleaning.And then it got late, and so we all stayed over. But that’s it , Saph. It’s the last time I lie for you. Next time you can tell your own lies.”
“Conor, I—”
“I don’t want to hear it. Rainbow and Patrick don’t know anything. If they meet Mum, and Mum says something about you being here, they’re going to think we’re both liars. Why don’t you ever think ? Why do you just plunge in and do whatever you want?”
I can’t find an answer to this. I look down at the talisman lying on the kitchen table.
“Elvira gave me something for you,” I say quietly. I hear a sharp intake of breath.
“What? What is it?”
“I can’t really describe it. I’ve got to see you, Con.”
Suddenly there’s a flurry of barking in the background. I hear a door burst open and Rainbow’s voice apologizing. “Sorry, Conor, Sadie was desperate to get to you. I couldn’t hold her back.”
The barking grows louder and louder.
“Steady, girl, it’s all right, I haven’t gone away…get down, you crazy dog… Sadie! ”
“Let me talk to her, Conor.”
“She knows I’m talking to you. That’s why she’s going nuts. Here, Sadie.”
A volley of barks hits the phone. I hold it away from my ear. Then, when Sadie calms down, I say, “It’s allright, Sadie girl, I’m here. I’m back. I’m coming to fetch you.”
She understands, I know she does. She whines, deep in her throat, with a mixture of pleading and relief in her voice.
“Conor? Conor, listen, I’m coming down now. I’ll ride your old bike. I’ve got to talk to you.”
“It’d better be good,
I stare at the date. It’s impossible. I blink, but the figures stay the same. I am looking at a newspaper that comes out tomorrow.
How long have I been gone? I’ve got to speak to Conor. But the flood took his mobile phone, and he hasn’t got enough money yet for a new one. I’ve got to talk to Conor before I speak to Mum, so I’ll know what’s happening. If I’ve really been gone for a day and a half, then Mum will have contacted the police and the coast guard and everyone. But there’s no sign of that. The cottage is undisturbed. I remember what it was like after Dad disappeared, with neighbors and men in uniforms everywhere and phones ringing.
There’s not even a note for me on the table. Mum would have left a note, surely. She wouldn’t have just thought: Oh, well, Sapphy’s been gone for thirty-six hours, but no worries, I’ll go and have a bit of space with Roger.
I know for sure that Conor went to Rainbow and Patrick’s. They might know something. There’s a landline number for them somewhere, if their landline is back on yet after the flood….
It is. I find the number in our phone’s memory, and to my relief there’s a normal dial tone. After six rings someone picks up.
“Hello?”
It’s Rainbow.
“Rainbow? It’s Sapphy. Is Conor still with you?”
“Oh, hi, Sapphy.” Her voice is relaxed, friendly, unconcerned. “How are you? Are you coming over?”
“Um, no, not just now—listen, Rainbow, can I have a word with Conor if he’s there?”
“Sure, wait a minute, he was here a second ago—”
And I hear Conor’s voice in the background, “Rainbow, can I take the phone in the kitchen?”
The phone is passed over. I hear footsteps and the door shutting. He’s gone into Rainbow and Patrick’s little back kitchen. I hold the phone, listening. Conor doesn’t say anything at all, but I know he’s there because I can hear him breathing.
“It’s me,” I say at last. “Are you all right?”
“Am I all right?” says Conor quietly and furiously. “What do you think, Saph? You’ve been gone since yesterday.”
“I was fine, though, Conor, I was in—”
“I know where you were.”
“Conor—Mum, does she know?”
“She’ll be at work now. She thinks you’re here with me. I called her yesterday and said you’d decided to come down to Rainbow and Patrick’s and help out with the cleaning.And then it got late, and so we all stayed over. But that’s it , Saph. It’s the last time I lie for you. Next time you can tell your own lies.”
“Conor, I—”
“I don’t want to hear it. Rainbow and Patrick don’t know anything. If they meet Mum, and Mum says something about you being here, they’re going to think we’re both liars. Why don’t you ever think ? Why do you just plunge in and do whatever you want?”
I can’t find an answer to this. I look down at the talisman lying on the kitchen table.
“Elvira gave me something for you,” I say quietly. I hear a sharp intake of breath.
“What? What is it?”
“I can’t really describe it. I’ve got to see you, Con.”
Suddenly there’s a flurry of barking in the background. I hear a door burst open and Rainbow’s voice apologizing. “Sorry, Conor, Sadie was desperate to get to you. I couldn’t hold her back.”
The barking grows louder and louder.
“Steady, girl, it’s all right, I haven’t gone away…get down, you crazy dog… Sadie! ”
“Let me talk to her, Conor.”
“She knows I’m talking to you. That’s why she’s going nuts. Here, Sadie.”
A volley of barks hits the phone. I hold it away from my ear. Then, when Sadie calms down, I say, “It’s allright, Sadie girl, I’m here. I’m back. I’m coming to fetch you.”
She understands, I know she does. She whines, deep in her throat, with a mixture of pleading and relief in her voice.
“Conor? Conor, listen, I’m coming down now. I’ll ride your old bike. I’ve got to talk to you.”
“It’d better be good,
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