up just in time to see Mrs Stoffer shake her head.
‘It’s all right. I’ll make it up.’ Lily pushed her postcards forward, and she slapped a two-pound coin down on the counter as if she were a millionaire with a chauffeured car idling outside.
Together they walked back down towards the Green. ‘No school today?’ she asked them, and they explained about their mum taking the car. ‘There’s no bus, you see, and… well, some days it’s too far to walk.’
‘Where is the school?’
‘It’s over at Thressingfield,’ and, spinning round in the direction of the main road, they pointed vaguely at the horizon. ‘Sometimes we get a lift with Mr Blane, but he wasn’t going in today.’
‘Oh,’ Lily said as they strolled back down through the village. ‘I expect she’ll be back soon.’
Em hung her head and Arrie, with grubby fingers, slid a flat green octopus into her mouth.
‘I didn’t mean…’ Lily bit her lip. ‘I mean, I’m sure…’
‘Anyway,’ Em said quickly, ‘Dad’s getting a new car.’
‘Not new new,’ Arrie corrected. ‘But new for us.’
Em offered Lily one of her sweets. They were like jelly babies, but much harder to chew. Strange flattened shapes, rubbery and thick. For some time it was impossible to speak.
There was no one on the Green and Lily sat on one of the two swings, watching while Em kicked higher and higher into the blue sky. Arrie was polishing the slide. She was using her bottom as a duster, walking up backwards, rubbing at each section until the stainless steel shone. Finally, she said, the slide was ready, and with a small bow she sped down at great speed and shot off the end. She landed in a dusty dip of wood chips, and Lily noticed, when she struggled up, that the seat of her leggings was worn thin.
‘Does she do this often?’ she asked Em, and Em said it was her job. ‘I pick up the litter, and Arrie polishes the slide. We asked Alf if we could, and he said yes.’
‘Who’s Alf?’
‘Alf??’ Em looked at Lily as if it was impossible not to know. ‘Oh, he’s… he…’ She turned almost upside down. ‘He’s on the… he’s at the… he’s sort of the boss.’
Arrie had finished sliding and now she hovered in front of Lily. ‘Do you want to see something’ – she stepped up close – ‘secret?’
‘I’d love to,’ Lily said.
‘Arrie!’ Em jolted her swing upright, her eyes furious, warning her to stop.
‘What?’
There followed a moment’s silence in which they communicated with glares.
‘Oh, come on, then, if you really want to,’ and, screwing up her eyes at Arrie, Em took Lily by the hand.
They walked down the lane towards the sea, but instead of crossing the bridge they veered off along a smaller path, banked with long grasses, ducking to avoid the brambles that looped out and caught them on their way. The path wound and dipped, the river on one side, marshes and hillocks of thick grass on the other. Eventually they came out on the salt marsh. There were bright patches of water glittering between sedge, and tiny hardened paths, wide enough for one. The sedge was head-high, bleached white by last year’s sun, waving very gently in the breeze. Occasionally they came across a shorn patch, mowed down like a boy’s hair, taken away for making thatch. Then it was flat and silent as far as the sea, although living in these marshes were birds and voles and coypus, water rats and bitterns, even if Lily had still not heard a single sound. Every few yards they crossed over water, back and forth on planks embedded in the bank.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, wondering how anyone could know their way so well, and just then Em doubled back over another bridge.
‘There it is,’ Arrie said, and on the horizon were the ruins of a mill. It looked like an abandoned sandcastle, its roof missing, one corner crumbling in. ‘Shhh, it’s haunted.’
Em turned, and at her hiss a pair of great black birds rose out of the long grass. They flew fast,
‘It’s all right. I’ll make it up.’ Lily pushed her postcards forward, and she slapped a two-pound coin down on the counter as if she were a millionaire with a chauffeured car idling outside.
Together they walked back down towards the Green. ‘No school today?’ she asked them, and they explained about their mum taking the car. ‘There’s no bus, you see, and… well, some days it’s too far to walk.’
‘Where is the school?’
‘It’s over at Thressingfield,’ and, spinning round in the direction of the main road, they pointed vaguely at the horizon. ‘Sometimes we get a lift with Mr Blane, but he wasn’t going in today.’
‘Oh,’ Lily said as they strolled back down through the village. ‘I expect she’ll be back soon.’
Em hung her head and Arrie, with grubby fingers, slid a flat green octopus into her mouth.
‘I didn’t mean…’ Lily bit her lip. ‘I mean, I’m sure…’
‘Anyway,’ Em said quickly, ‘Dad’s getting a new car.’
‘Not new new,’ Arrie corrected. ‘But new for us.’
Em offered Lily one of her sweets. They were like jelly babies, but much harder to chew. Strange flattened shapes, rubbery and thick. For some time it was impossible to speak.
There was no one on the Green and Lily sat on one of the two swings, watching while Em kicked higher and higher into the blue sky. Arrie was polishing the slide. She was using her bottom as a duster, walking up backwards, rubbing at each section until the stainless steel shone. Finally, she said, the slide was ready, and with a small bow she sped down at great speed and shot off the end. She landed in a dusty dip of wood chips, and Lily noticed, when she struggled up, that the seat of her leggings was worn thin.
‘Does she do this often?’ she asked Em, and Em said it was her job. ‘I pick up the litter, and Arrie polishes the slide. We asked Alf if we could, and he said yes.’
‘Who’s Alf?’
‘Alf??’ Em looked at Lily as if it was impossible not to know. ‘Oh, he’s… he…’ She turned almost upside down. ‘He’s on the… he’s at the… he’s sort of the boss.’
Arrie had finished sliding and now she hovered in front of Lily. ‘Do you want to see something’ – she stepped up close – ‘secret?’
‘I’d love to,’ Lily said.
‘Arrie!’ Em jolted her swing upright, her eyes furious, warning her to stop.
‘What?’
There followed a moment’s silence in which they communicated with glares.
‘Oh, come on, then, if you really want to,’ and, screwing up her eyes at Arrie, Em took Lily by the hand.
They walked down the lane towards the sea, but instead of crossing the bridge they veered off along a smaller path, banked with long grasses, ducking to avoid the brambles that looped out and caught them on their way. The path wound and dipped, the river on one side, marshes and hillocks of thick grass on the other. Eventually they came out on the salt marsh. There were bright patches of water glittering between sedge, and tiny hardened paths, wide enough for one. The sedge was head-high, bleached white by last year’s sun, waving very gently in the breeze. Occasionally they came across a shorn patch, mowed down like a boy’s hair, taken away for making thatch. Then it was flat and silent as far as the sea, although living in these marshes were birds and voles and coypus, water rats and bitterns, even if Lily had still not heard a single sound. Every few yards they crossed over water, back and forth on planks embedded in the bank.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, wondering how anyone could know their way so well, and just then Em doubled back over another bridge.
‘There it is,’ Arrie said, and on the horizon were the ruins of a mill. It looked like an abandoned sandcastle, its roof missing, one corner crumbling in. ‘Shhh, it’s haunted.’
Em turned, and at her hiss a pair of great black birds rose out of the long grass. They flew fast,
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