DAY 24: Monday
My skims: 17
Wriggler’s skims: 0
Tearley’s skims: 14
He’s back. Mr Black.
Money made for tinnie or Tearley: $0 ($810.50 to go.)
Not sure we can sell the plans for the EWS just yet.
We were all back at the river skimming when a voice behind us said, ‘Hello, kids. You well, yeah?’
‘Er … yeah,’ I said.
Mr Black had somehow got past our early warning system.
‘I’ve just come back from America,’ he said. ‘Very quick trip, yeah. Beautiful place. Very fat people, yeah. Have you been looking after my place for me?’
‘Oh, you own it?’ said Tearley.
‘No, no. It just feels like it, yeah. We’re the only ones that ever use it, so it’s our place in a way. Yours and mine.’
‘S’pose,’ I said. I had no idea what Mr Black was getting at.
‘You’re not sure, yeah? Have other people been coming here?’
‘No,’ I said.
‘That’s good, yeah. It’s our secret place. Have you broken the world record yet?’
‘No,’ Tearley said. ‘Are you Mr Bayoumi?’
‘Who? Bayoumi, yeah? Never heard of him,’ Mr Black said. ‘Keep practising. You will be champions soon, yeah. See ya later.’
He strode back up the path. He didn’t set off the EWS on his way out, either. Wrigs went up to see why it hadn’t gone off.
Tearley said, ‘Well, at least we know why he’s been talking to us. He wants to find out if anyone else has been down here.’
Wrigs came back down and said, ‘Freaky. He got through the EWS without breaking the cotton.’
‘Do you still think he’s a ghost?’ I asked.
‘He might be,’ said Wriggler.
‘Why would a ghost go to America?’ I said.