Ryan Ward sat anxiously outside the head teacher’s office. He’d been here many times before, of course, but he had hoped that now things might be different. Mr Carter’s assembly had been OK – he’d basically announced that things had been a little strange for a while, but now it was time to get everything back to normal. Then at the end of it he’d said quite sternly, “And, Ryan Ward! Come see me in my office after school.”

So maybe it was all going to be boringly back to normal, with him just as much in trouble as ever. Maybe Mr Carter was just going to tell him off for all the things he’d done when he’d been head teacher.

Then Mr Carter opened the door.

“Hello, Ryan,” he said. “Come in.” Which Ryan did. And went to sit down opposite Mr Carter’s desk.

“Look, Mr Carter,” he said. “I’m really sorry about everything I did. When I was you, I mean. All the making Reception kids take classes and the British Tortoise game, and cancelling the homework and—”

“Are you well?” said Mr Carter.

“Pardon?”

“Well. You know. Everything … in its proper place. No ill effects. From our … experience?”

“Oh! Yeah. I’m fine. And, actually, I’m very pleased that when I go for a wee now I don’t have to—”

“Yes, I think it’s still best that we don’t talk about that.”

“Yes. OK.”

“In fact, I’m not sure if we should really mention this – the whole body-swap thing – to anyone. Apart, obviously, from Dionna, who already knows. Because it might make us sound a bit …”

“Mad?” said Ryan.

“Hm,” said Mr Carter.

There was a short pause then. Mr Carter frowned as if not sure what to say next. Ryan started to wonder when the big telling-off was coming.

“Also, Ryan, I just wanted to let you know a few things,” said the head teacher eventually. “That I thought you might like to know. First of all … ah … They’re here.”

“Who is?” said Ryan, looking round. But Mr Carter had gone to the door and opened it. He was smiling a lot, for him. Ryan couldn’t work out why until he saw his mum coming through the door in a wheelchair. Not his mum – Mr Carter’s mum. Grace. She was being pushed by Zadie the nurse.

“Hello, Mum,” said Mr Carter softly.

“Hello, Michael,” said Grace, smiling. She had a blanket over her knees and a needle in the back of her hand that was connected to a bag of liquid attached to the chair, but she looked happy.

Zadie pushed the chair in to the room and then wheeled it round so she was facing Mr Carter and Ryan.

“Wow!” said Ryan.

“Hello,” said Grace. “Who are you?”

“This is Ryan Ward, Mum. He’s one of our pupils here. Ryan, this is my mum, Grace.”

“Yes. I kn—”

“And,” continued Mr Carter, cutting him off, “my mum’s not been very well, but recently she’s got a bit better. It was unexpected.” He paused, then continued. “The doctors think that when I …” As he spoke, he looked closely at Ryan. “Yes, when I came to see her last time, it cheered her up a lot … the way I was.”

“You cried!” said Grace, reaching out a hand to him. He took it and smiled at her.

“Yes. Apparently. I mean, it’s a bit of a blur in my memory.”

“Perhaps,” said Ryan, smiling a little himself now, “because you were so … emotional?”

Mr Carter nodded. “Well, anyway, whatever happened, it helped my mother’s state of mind and she’s had at least a temporary reprieve.”

“Hello? Everybody?” said Grace. “I am still here.”

“You see,” said Zadie, looking at Mr Carter. “Right back to her normal self!”

“Sorry, Mum.”

“That’s all right, Michael. I just wanted to see the school. It’s lovely!”

Mr Carter and Ryan exchanged glances. Ryan’s glance said, quite clearly, I thought you said she was much better. But now she’s said the school is lovely?

“Yes,” said Zadie. “But we need to get back. I told them we wouldn’t be out for long.”

Grace nodded and Zadie gripped the handles of her wheelchair. Grace looked up. Mr Carter knelt down and kissed her gently on the cheek. She closed her eyes. Then she opened them, held out her hand and said, “Very nice to meet you, Ryan.”

Ryan took her hand. It was light as a feather. As they touched, she added, “And I hope we meet again. I wouldn’t want this to be the only time we’ve met.”

Ryan looked at her. She was smiling as if … as if she knew it wasn’t. Ryan opened his mouth to reply, perhaps even to tell her it wasn’t.

But then Zadie said, “Come on, Grace. Stop stalling.” And pulled her backwards and out of the door. Ryan watched her go. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up. Mr Carter was looking down at him.

“Thank you,” he said.

Ryan turned to leave. “Is that all, Mr Carter?”

“No,” said the head teacher. “Not quite. There’s just one more thing.”