Chapter 2

After we’d both showered and dressed, Amber just wearing my shirt and her shorts, the shirt unbuttoned to show a little cleavage, we set off for town via Amber’s house in the village.

On the way out I pulled a spare door key from a hook by the door, “here you go Amber, have a key, it’ll save you having to climb in through the window if you’re back before me.”

Amber clutched the key to her chest, her smile beaming, almost like she was a house elf and I’d given her a sock.

“Do you have any idea what this means to me, Matt? It means you trust me, and you want to see me again.”

“Of course I want to see you again, didn’t we just plan tonight’s meal? I’ll say something else, I want to see you again as a friend, Amber, don’t think I just want to sleep with you. I had a lot of fun as soon as we met, well, as soon as I’d coaxed you out of the corner.”

“The sex was OK though?” Amber asked, uncertainly.

“The sex was mindblowing, Amber, but friendship is built on a lot more than sex.”

That made Amber beam even more, “so ... does that mean I’m your friend?”

“More than anything, you’re my friend, Amber, you’re wonderful, extremely pretty, and a little bit odd, but you’re my friend, and I hope I’m your friend.”

“Oh my god Matt, of course you’re my friend,” she replied, jumping into my arms.

I held Amber with one hand, she didn’t want to let go yet, as I opened the passenger door, “I’ve got two friends now,” she whispered to herself as I placed her carefully on the front bench.

Why does she only have two friends, I pondered as I unlocked the gate before getting into the Land Rover and reversing out. She’s undoubtedly an unusual girl, but surely there’s more people who like her than me and the mysterious Jerod.

“Don’t you have any friends at school,” I asked after I’d locked the gate and carefully turned the Land Rover around, only hitting a few trees in the process.

“I don’t really like any of the kids at school, they’re either snobs or stoners, and I don’t really want to mix with either of those groups.”

“There can’t be just those two groups.”

“Well, yeah, there’s all the loners like me.”

“Can’t you be friends with any of the loners?”

“We don’t want to talk to other people, that’s why we’re loners.”

Again with the razor sharp logic.

“Maybe you have something in common with someone, and you could be loners together, then when you don’t want to be lonely, you could chat with each other. Find a girl who dresses like you and see if she’d like to talk.”

“Mmm, maybe Toni would talk to me...” Amber pondered quietly as I stopped at the end of the track, waiting for a gap in traffic.

“Who’s Toni?”

“She’s a girl in year 9, younger than me, she’s emo and really pretty. She’s sometimes with the girls who vape in the toilets, and I don’t like that, mum vapes and she’s always sucking on it, I bet she’s getting more nasty shit in her lungs than when she smoked. Anyway, sometimes Toni just sits on her own in the quiet room where the special kids hang out, Haley’s dead nice, she’s the teaching assistant who works with the anxious kids, that’s her room. Maybe I could go in there and talk to Toni sometime.”

I caught a gap in the traffic and pulled out onto the main road. There was a lot of traffic today, “what day is it?” I asked Amber.

“Thursday,” she replied, ahh ... market day, that’s why the road’s busy, “so, should I talk to Toni?”

“Absolutely, what’s the worst that could happen?”

“She could stab me.”

“Is that likely?”

“She stabbed a boy that tried to kiss her once.”

“Mmm, maybe that’s because she’s not into boys, or the boy was smelly or something. Perhaps only talk to her when you can see her hands are empty.”

“Yes,” she replied confidently, “next time I go to school I’ll talk to Toni, but only after I’ve seen her hands are empty, and there’s nothing sharp around.”

This seemed to cheer Amber up immensely, and she chattered for the rest of the drive, the one-way conversation jumping rapidly from topic to topic so I lost track after a few minutes and just let her pleasant voice wash over me as I coaxed the elderly Land Rover onwards.

There were a few road closures due to the farmers market, which took up the village high street and two side streets, so I had to negotiate a complex one-way system before I could reach Amber’s parents’ cottage.

It was a nice cottage, a double fronted bungalow with a colourful garden at the front.

“Do you want to come in for a cup of tea?”

This shocked me, I didn’t think she’d want me to meet her parents.

“Will that be OK, won’t they wonder who I am?”

“Yeah, but mum’s looking out of the window, so she’s already wondering. I’ll tell her you found me this morning and gave me a lift home.”

Amber clearly had a talent for making up stuff on the spot, so I shrugged and slid across the bench and climbed out after her. The front door opened as we approached.

“Hey mum, you OK?”

“Err, yes, I’m fine. Who’s this?”

“Ohh yeah, this is Matt, he lives in the woods, in a cabin, not a tent like me. He saw me walking and offered me a lift home.”

“What have I told you about talking to strange men?”

“I don’t remember you talking to me about anything to do with safety,” Amber snapped as she pushed past her mum and into the cottage, she grabbed my hand, pulling me inside with her, “anyway, Matt isn’t strange, he’s really nice and thoughtful.”

“Err, pleased to meet you, Matt, I’m Melody.”

“Good morning Melody,” I managed as Amber pulled me onwards into a cosy kitchen.

“Do you want a cup of tea, mum?”

“Yes please.”

“Is dad home?”

“No, he’s out somewhere,” Melody replied, wandering off into the other room.

“Did you smell her breath?” Amber whispered, “she’s drunk already, or maybe she’s not sobered up. I bet she can’t tell you the last time I was here.”

“Do you want some toast, mum?” she called out.

Melody reappeared, “ahh, yes please.”

“When did you last see me, mum?”

“Mmm, what?”

“When was I last home?”

“What day is it?”

“Thursday, mum, that’s why the high street is closed and all those stalls are outside.”

“Ahh, yes, of course,” Melody answered vaguely, “did we see you yesterday?”

“Yes mum, I was here all day yesterday. I’ll bring your tea and toast in a minute,” Amber replied as she poured boiling water into a big brown teapot, “see what I mean,” she added, turning her attention to me, “not a fucking clue. I’ve not been home since Sunday. That’s why that t-shirt was a bit stinky yesterday. I needed to come home today for a shower and change of clothes.”

“This is so sad, a kid your age needs people you can rely on to keep you safe.”

“That’s pretty much me, I can keep myself safe.”

“Maybe, but there’s people out there that could turn your head and lead you astray, you need guidance and boundaries.”

“I bet you could do that job, Matt,” she told me as she popped a couple of slices of toast on a plate and buttered them, she kissed me quickly and gave me a plate and mug of tea, “give these to mum then follow me, we’re raiding my dad’s office.”

“Oh, hello, who are you?” Melody asked as I gave her the toast and put her mug on the table.

“I’m Amber’s friend, Matt.”

“Oh, she’s got a boyfriend at last, that’s nice.”

I left the room and saw Amber at the end of the hallway, she waved and I followed her, on the way I stepped over a big cardboard box of empty wine bottles, “mum’s recycling,” Amber told me, a disgusted note to her voice.

“She’d already forgotten who I was,” I told her.

“Oh fuck, she’s getting worse.”

“She now thinks I’m your boyfriend,” I smiled.

“Maybe she’s right,” Amber replied, kissing me tenderly.

I thought for a moment, I kind of liked the idea of being Amber’s boyfriend, but there was a slight hurdle about her age.

“When’s your birthday, Amber?”

“15th September, why?”

“Just checking when you’ll be 16.”

“Why, is that important?”

“Yeah, kind of, because right now, it’s illegal for us to be together, once you’re 16 it’ll still look weird to some people, but at least I won’t get arrested.”

“Ohh, I’d not thought about that. Do I look 15?”

I stepped back and tried to look at Amber objectively. No, she didn’t look 15, she could easily pass for 18. I decided to test that later in a pub.

“You look older,” I confirmed.

Amber wrapped her arms around me, she looked into my eyes, “we’ll be OK, won’t we?”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” I replied, thinking to myself, I’ve no fucking idea what’s going to happen, we’ll just roll with the waves.

Amber opened a laptop on the desk as I looked around the room. Even with a window open the air was fusty. There were overflowing ashtrays on the desk, the sideboard and a small table next to an easy chair. This wasn’t a healthy room. I resolved then to do everything I could to get Amber out of this house forever.

While the laptop was booting Amber was digging through a drawer full of junk; batteries, chargers, leads and, “got one!” she exclaimed, “this will hold a few films.”

I watched her type in her dad’s password - LoliBaby1999 - and the desktop appeared, “urghh” Amber groaned when presented with a photo of a model with her legs spread and a huge dildo in her pussy, “this is worse than the last one, at least she was pretty. Ok, down to work...”

She inserted the USB and checked it was empty, “ooohh, this is one of his new ones, lots of space, I think we’ll copy the whole folder.”

She opened another Explorer window, found his movie folder and dragged it across to the USB stick, after a moment a window popped up confirming the copy process had started and would take approximately 30 minutes.

“God these things are so slow,” she sighed, “do you want another brew?”

“Yes please,” I replied.

“Then we’ll have a look round here to see if he’s got any magazines, I’d like you to see Agatha, she’s so pretty.”

Amber made another pot, I took a fresh mug and some biscuits into the lounge for Melody, she was watching some property buying crap on TV.

“Are you kids having fun?”

“I’m helping Amber with her homework.”

“That’s nice,” Melody replied without lifting her eyes from the TV.

I returned to the office, “what time will your dad be back?”

“Who knows, we’ll go as soon as these files are finished. I’m copying his photo folder as well.”

“Why?”

“Because I bet he’s got some porn in there as well, the dirty bastard. You look through those drawers and I’ll dig through his desk, then I’ll have a quick look in those boxes.”

I quickly rifled through the six drawers and two cupboards in the sideboard, I found nothing apart from an illegal flicknife and an unloaded pistol, I left them where I found them.

“Yayyy,” Amber exclaimed quietly, “I’ve found some, pass me a carrier bag.”

I’d seen a pile of bags in one of the cupboards, I grabbed one and passed it to Amber.

“I’ll just grab a handful, we can look at them when we get home. Can you watch the laptop and turn it off when it’s finished, while I fill the rest of this bag with some clean clothes.”

Pretty soon we were done, I slipped the USB stick in my pocket, Amber went into the lounge to say goodbye to her mother, then we headed for the car.

“Hey dad!” Amber called out as a man passed us on the pavement outside.

“Hi Amber, who’s this?”

“Just a friend, he lives near my tent in the woods.”

“Matt,” I told him.

“Derek,” he replied, shaking my hand, “Derek Watts.”

“Pleased to meet you Derek.”

“Likewise,” he mumbled as he shuffled towards the house.

“Well, that was special,” I laughed as I unlocked the car for Amber to dump the carrier behind the seats.

“What now?”

“I need to find a mobile signal so I can check in with work, why don’t you go look around the market, get something nice for lunch and we’ll go for a picnic.”

“Err,” Amber replied, biting her lip, “could you lend me some money.”

“Ahh, no problem,” I pulled out my wallet and gave her £20, “come and find me if you need more.”

Amber slipped the money in her pocket and skipped off towards the market. I pulled out my phone and turned it on, thankful I’d remembered to move the photos and video from last night to my laptop before we left, there’s no way I wanted that lot to migrate to my company cloud storage.

Holding my phone out to check for a signal, I wandered around the town. I was concentrating on the screen so much I literally bumped into Leanne, the girl from the bakers.

‘Hey Matt, how are you doing?”

“Ahh, sorry about almost killing you just then,” I apologised, “I’m doing well, Leanne. I thought you’d be hard at work on market day.”

“I’ve been working since 4 this morning, I’ve just popped out for a bit of fresh air.”

“Ahh, 4am, we were still in bed then.”

“We!” Leanne smiled, “have you found a lady friend already?”

“Slip of the tongue,” I replied, just as Amber appeared and grabbed my hand.

“Can I borrow another £5 please, I’ve found a shirt I like, oh hey Leanne, I love your hair.”

“Hey Amber, you look great today, I love your shirt.”

“Thanks, it’s Matt’s, he said I could have it, my t-shirt smelt a bit funky this morning, I’d had it on for a few days.”

I gave Amber another £20 and she ran back to the market.

Leanne was grinning, “was that the other half of the we?”

“Ahh...”

“Hey, I’m saying nothing, she’s a smashing girl, a bit weird, but the less time she spends with those fucking freaks at home the better.”

“She grows on you,” is all I could think of saying.

“Give her this for me, I’ve always had a soft spot for Amber,” Leanne gave me a quick kiss on the lips then carried on walking up the high street.

“She’ll appreciate that more than you can possibly imagine,” I called after her.

“Yeah, I’ve seen how she looks at me through the window,” Leanne laughed.

I’d walked all the way out of the village before I found a signal strong enough to make a video call to Jed. I didn’t need to make it a video call, but I decided to show Jed that I was keeping myself clean and sober.

“Matt! It’s great to see you, how are you doing?”

“I’m doing OK, keeping sober, shaving regularly, I feel vaguely human.”

“You can’t come back yet, I want you completely rested before I reactivate your pass.”

“That’s not why I’m calling, I could honestly get used to this life.”

“So why are you calling?”

“Just showing you I’m alive so you don’t stop my profit share payments.”

“Hahaha, like you’ve ever given a shit about the money, Matt.”

“OK, you got me, I’m checking in to make sure the place isn’t on fire and our customers aren’t marching on the offices with pitchforks.”

“We’re doing fine, in fact I’m not sure Nikki and Diane will ever want you back.”

“Awesome, well, you know where I am if you need my help.”

“Yeah, we know where you are, but that won’t help in an emergency. I deliberately didn’t put a phone line in the cabin so I could avoid work, so why don’t you go back there and avoid work for a while longer.”

“OK Jed, I’ll call you again in a few weeks.”

He cut the call. I thought about phoning Nikki, but she’d be annoyed about me checking up on her, so I slipped the phone back in my pocket and walked back down to the market.

Jed’s sister, Chris, is in the police, and I’d thought about mentioning Derek, seeing if she knew anything about him, but I’d decided not to. I didn’t want to stir anything up in case they ended up running away and taking Amber with them.

Amber beamed as she saw me approaching, she really was the most joyful person I’d met in a long, long time.

“Did you make your call?”

“I did, I had to walk all the way out of the village to get a good enough signal to make a video call to work.”

“A video call, that’s fancy.”

“Yeah, I just wanted Jed to see I was sober and clean shaven. He was worried about my mental health when I left. He’s not worried now.”

“Is he going to drag you back to work?” Amber asked, sounding apprehensive.

“Oh no, he doesn’t want me back until I’m fully rested.”

“Yayyy, so you’re not running away from me.”

“I’d never do that,” I assured her.

“Look at my new shirt,” she cried, pulling an orange and blue tie-dyed shirt from her bag, “doesn’t it look great? I’ll try it on.”

“No, not here!” I stopped her quickly, remembering she had no bra on today.

“It’s OK Mr panic pants, I’ve a bra on now, relax.”

Even so, I thought, undressing and showing your bra on a street isn’t really appropriate, but Amber didn’t seem to have a self-conscious bone in her body, so who was I to try and rein in her freedom from society’s constraints.

She pulled off the shirt I gave her and rolled it into the bag, she stretched to make sure everyone got a good look at her fine figure before donning the new shirt.

It looked good, she really suited it, and it was much closer to her size.

“It looks great on you,” I told her, “the colour is perfect.”

“Thanks Matt, I’m glad you like,” she replied as she picked up her bag.

We held hands as we walked back to my car, we were half way there before I realised she’d not buttoned her shirt, so the whole village was treated to a view of her bra.

As we reached the car Amber fastened the shirt properly, just leaving the top button open.

“Did you get some food for a picnic?” I asked as we climbed in.

“Oh yes, I got pies, cheese, apples and some cute little quiches. After I bought the shirt I remembered we’d need some bread, so I went to the bakers, Leanne was in, she must have just got back from talking to you...”

“Just a sec, she gave me something to give you,” I turned to face Amber and kissed her.

“Oh, that’s weird, because she gave me this to give you...” Amber laughed, before kissing me much more passionately than I’d just kissed her.

“Wooo, did she do it just like that?”

“Ahh, no, but only because there were other customers in the shop,” she added quickly, “or I bet she would have done it just like that.”

“I bet she would,” I replied as I started the Land Rover, which always requires patience and prayer.

We rolled slowly out of the village, round the one way system then out onto the main road.

“Oh, I got these as well!” Amber exclaimed as we sped north, heading for the road that would take us around the lake towards a nice sheltered spot where we could enjoy a picnic.

“What’s that honey, I can’t look now, I’m trying to find our turn off.”

“Mates Extra Sensation condoms, I don’t know what the extra sensation means, I’ll read it later. I picked them because I liked the colour of the box.”

“Well done, I hope nobody saw you.”

“No, this old lady was in getting her prescriptions, the pharmacist almost needed a shopping trolley to fetch them all.”

“Did the lady see you?”

“Oh yes, she saw me, she smiled and told me to have fun. Everybody says that old ladies are nasty, but some of them can be quite naughty.”

“I guess she’s glad you’re being safe.”

“No fear, I am not having a baby, ever. There’s two girls in school having babies, and one in Year 11 who had one last year. She’s all ‘oh, it’s amazing, being a mother really makes you grow up and appreciate life’, it’s all bollocks, I’ve heard her talking to her friends about how awful it is having a baby, and how she can’t go out anymore. I so wish people paid attention during the sex ed classes and maybe they’d be more careful when fucking in the bushes behind the estate.”

“I’m glad you’ve got such a sensible head, Amber,” I told her, before apologising as I stamped on the brakes and just managed to slow down in time to safely make the turn.

“Woah,” she gasped, “I thought we were going to roll over then.”

“Yep,” I replied, panting with the exertion of turning the big steering wheel, “no point in having safe sex if I go and roll the car down a big hill.”

We made it the rest of the way to the picnic site safely, we had no rug, so we used my old shirt as a tablecloth, Amber set out all the food, she’d also bought a bottle of pressed organic apple juice.

“I’ve been wanting to try this, but mum would never buy it, because it’s quite expensive. I thought about stealing a bottle, but it’s not fair, the lady makes this stuff herself, I could never steal from someone like that.”

As if I didn’t love this girl enough already, that was the clincher.

I pulled out my pocket knife and used it to slice the blocks of cheese she’d bought, a nice strong Scottish cheddar and a tasty Lancashire, we also had some duck pate that spread nicely on chunks we tore off the baguettes she’d bought off Leanne.

“Mmm, this pate is lovely with the Lancashire cheese,” Amber told me before quickly pushing a bit of bread back in her mouth, “ahh, finish chewing before I speak in future I think. I’m just so excited, I’ve not been on a picnic before.”

“Really, that surprises me.”

“I don’t think I have, maybe when I was really young. Eating outside like this is great.”

“How do you eat when you’re camping?”

“I go into town every few days and get a few things. I’ve got a pan and some plates in my tent, so I can build a little fire and make a stew or something. I don’t do anything fancy or anything, it’s hard to cook on a fire.”

We’d soon eaten our fill, so I packed all the food into Amber’s carrier bag, then I gave her £10, “why don’t you nip into the pub and order us a couple of drinks.”

“You mean, like, beer?”

“Or wine if you prefer.”

“But I’m too young.”

“This is a little experiment,” I told her, as I unfastened two more buttons of her shirt, just enough to show the neat swell of her small breasts, “I think you’ll easily pass for 18, you look old enough, you act very maturely when you want to, and the little flash of your breasts is there to guarantee success.”

“What should I buy?”

“I’ll let you choose,” I told her as I picked up her bag and walked with her to the pub, taking a seat at one of their benches outside.

I waited five minutes and she hadn’t returned, so I popped my head in the door. Amber was chatting with the barman, she looked to be doing fine, so I returned to my bench.

Five minutes later she appeared with two pint glasses and a smile.

“I’m really sorry,” Amber apologised as she carefully placed both glasses on the table, “I had no idea what to order, so I asked him and he poured me a little bit of everything, this one is my favourite of the six I tried.”

Once more she made me smile with her practical innocence, I’d never have thought to ask to try all the beers.

Amber dug through her pockets, “oh, I nearly forgot, here’s all your change from the food and the beer.”

I pushed it all back, “that’s OK, you keep it. If you’re staying at mine I’ll sort you some pocket money.”

Amber looked in my eyes, she had tears in hers, “you want me to stay at your house?”

“It’s pretty clear you’re not welcome at home, so you’re welcome to stay with me as long as you like. There’s two bedrooms if you want your own, or you can stay with me, I only want you to do what makes you happy.”

“I was very happy when I woke up with you this morning, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier than I am now.”

“OK, but don’t think you’re bound to my bed.”

“Mmm, I’ve seen some of dad’s books you know, Agatha was once bound to a bed, she looked to be having fun.”

I had to smile once more, “I’m not really into that, and I’m afraid there’s nowhere to fasten restraints on the bed in the cabin.”

“Oh well, what about your bed at home?”

“Are you going to follow me home like a puppy?” I smiled.

“If you’ll let me. If you stay the whole 6 months, like you said, I’ll be 16 by then.”

My heart broke just then, she was just so adorable, I covered my impending tears by taking a drink of the beer she’d carefully selected.

“Mmm, this is great, well done.”

Amber let out a breath she’d been holding since I picked up the glass, “phew, I’m so relieved you like it. I was between two choices.”

“Did he ask for your age?”

“No, he didn’t even hesitate, just asked me what I wanted to order.”

I gave her another £10 note, “go and get the other one you enjoyed, I’d like to try that.”

“Can I have another one? Will I be alright having two pints?”

“Yeah, you should be fine, if you get drunk I’ll carry you back to the car.”

Amber snatched up the tenner and marched into the pub, soon returning with two more pints.

“He says these are the same brewery as that pint, this is a porter, that’s an IPA.”

“Thanks honey, you just stumbled upon my favourite type of beer, I love a good porter.”

“I don’t know what any of this means,” she replied, looking puzzled, “I just thought all beer was the same, I was amazed that the six I tried were all different.”

“This is why I enjoy beer, because of the variety, it’s the same with whisky, there’s even more variety in whisky, which is amazing because beer and whisky are made from the same ingredients, the difference is in the water and the manner of production, and with whisky, the type of barrel used for maturation.”

“I’m going to have so much fun learning with you Matt.”

“We’ll be learning together honey. I think I’ll try this second pint now ... mmm, that is fantastic, better than the first one.”

“I liked the first one better,” Amber replied, “was I wrong.”

“Oh no, you’re not wrong. Everyone likes different things, our taste buds are amazing, we all react to flavours differently. Do you like coriander?”

“I think so, I’ve used it in curry and it’s OK.”

“Some people swear coriander tastes like soap, they hate it.”

“Oh, that’s weird.”

“It is, but they’re not wrong, their body is telling them they’re eating soap, there’s nothing they can do about it. Do you like tomatoes?”

“I love them, I can eat them straight off the tree, like an apple.”

“I hate them, they make me sick, really, I’m ill if I eat even a tiny bit of raw tomato, but I’m fine when they’re pureed and made into a sauce, like a pizza base, or spaghetti bolognaise. I also can’t cope with the tinned tomatoes they put on breakfasts, they just gross me out.”

“I’ll remember not to put any raw tomatoes on your plate, Matt.”

“Is there anything you don’t like, Amber?”

“I don’t think so, I eat most things, but we don’t really eat anything too adventurous at home, so I’ve not had much variety.”

“When you’re with me, you can try anything you like. There’s some great restaurants near my flat in Didsbury, we’ll try them all.”

“Does that mean I can follow you home like a puppy?”

“We’ll have to see what happens over the next few months, if all goes well, I’ll be more than happy to take you home with me.”

Amber smiled her brightest smile, then lifted her glass, “here’s to it all going well...”

We toasted with one of the best porters I’ve drunk in a long while, made all the better by the company and the surroundings.

Later, we made lasagne, not something I could ever be bothered to make on my own, but Amber had found a recipe book on the shelf in the cabin and jotted down the ingredients, we bought everything in a supermarket on the way home.

I can’t really say I’m a good cook, I get bored following recipes and start to do my own thing part way through, sometimes it works and the resulting meal is amazing, sometimes the result is semi lethal and I have to phone for a takeaway.

Amber, however, has amazing patience, and a good memory for the step by step instructions, so she doesn’t have to keep looking at the book. This means that once we pulled the lasagne dish out of the oven the result looked a lot like the photo in the book, and it tasted fantastic.

“That was amazing,” I told her, rubbing my full to bursting tummy.

“Shall we put the stuff in the sink to soak then go for a little walk in the dark to work it off?”

“That’s a good idea, let me get a torch.”

“We won’t need a torch, I know my way around here in the dark,” she assured me.

“I’ll get one just in case.”

“OK, scaredy cat,” Amber teased as she headed for the door. I grabbed the pocket torch from the hook in the kitchen and dashed after her.

We held hands as Amber led me down behind the cabin and through a crowded stand of pines, we almost had to go sideways to squeeze through some of the trees.

Beyond the first copse the trees spread out a lot and Amber walked confidently onwards, “look up,” she whispered, “there’s bats in the trees, can you see the moving dark patches against the sky.”

“Oh yes, that’s amazing, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bat outside a zoo.”

“I love them, the way they swoop around, changing direction almost at random. They’re eating all the flies and midges. Sometimes I’ll find an apple I’ve not eaten and it’s gone funny, so instead of throwing it away I climb one of the trees and put it up in the branches, the bats love them.”