They walked back to Deity.

Polly pointed to the dinghy that was tied to Deity’s stern. “Could we use your dinghy one day?” she asked excitedly, and Ethan nodded.

Mum climbed out of the bow doors and waved. She came to join them on the towpath. She smiled and said, “Hello, Polly, lovely to meet you.”

Polly smiled back and her cheeks went pink.

Ethan felt for his notebook.

Can Polly stay for dinner?

Mum read the note and beamed. She put her arm round Ethan. She was pleased he was using the notebook, he could tell.

“Would you like to have dinner with us, Polly?” Mum asked. “We’re having sausage and mash and I’ve made apple crumble with the apples you gave us.”

Polly nodded. “I’ll just go and tell my mum.”

Ethan watched Polly run off down the canal. He put the dipper net and bucket on top of the boat. He followed Mum down the bow stairs and into the lounge. Dad was taking the crumble out of the oven and the sweet smell of baked apples filled the whole boat.

“I hear we’ve got a special guest for tea,” said Dad, and Ethan smiled. “I’ll be on my best behaviour.”

Ethan helped Mum lay the table. When there was a knock on the bow doors, he climbed the steps and led Polly down into Deity.

“So, Polly,” said Mum when they sat down for tea. “How are you finding life on the water?”

“Fun,” said Polly, in between a mouthful of sausage. “Ethan’s been showing me the canal.”

“Nice boat you’ve got,” said Dad.

“It’s lovely,” said Polly. “But I prefer this one. It’s more homely.”

Dad smiled. “Is it just you and your mum?” he asked.

Polly nodded. She looked down at her food. Ethan knew Polly felt bad because her dad wasn’t with them.

“Are you not at school at the moment?” asked Mum.

“I will be,” said Polly. “When we move and find a mooring to settle on.”

“If you’d like to borrow some schoolbooks, let me know,” smiled Mum.

“And if your mum needs a hand with the boat, just give me a shout,” said Dad.

“Thank you,” Polly smiled.

“Let’s try that crumble,” said Mum.

 

“Can I see your cabin, Ethan?” asked Polly when they’d finished eating.

Ethan led her into the engine room and opened the door to his cabin.

“Wow,” said Polly. She ran her fingers over the wooden walls. “It’s so snug in here.” She frowned. “Where’s your bed?”

Ethan undid the latch on the tall cupboard and his bed unfolded.

“Magic!” said Polly. She turned to the corner of the cabin. “You’ve got your own little stove.” She touched the white painted castle on his wardrobe. “And a storybook castle.”

Ethan nodded and pulled out his secret drawer. Polly’s Halloween note was rolled up inside.

“My note,” said Polly. She looked up at the ceiling. “My cabin isn’t as fun as yours. There isn’t a hole in the roof. I don’t have a fold-down bed, or a castle, or a stove. I’d rather sleep in your cabin.”

Ethan stretched out his duvet and they sat on the bed.

“Your mum and dad are nice,” said Polly softly. There were tears in her eyes. “I wonder what my dad had for tea.”

She was quiet for a while. She looked down at the duvet. “Sometimes I wonder really bad things,” she said. “I lie in bed and I can’t sleep. I wonder what if Dad thinks we don’t care and he moves house and I can’t find him. Or what if he meets another lady with a daughter and she moves into my bedroom and my dad prefers her to me?”

Polly looked up at him, her eyes glistening. “Do you ever wonder scary things, Ethan?”

He nodded hard. He’d thought he was the only person who wondered things like that. If he could speak, he’d tell Polly all the things he wondered about. What if Dad had to drive lorries? What if he was made to go to school? What if something bad happened to Mum or Dad? What if Merlin went missing and never came back?

“How do you stop wondering?” asked Polly, her eyes fixed on his.

Ethan thought for a moment.

He got his notebook from his pocket.

 

I take a big breath,

he wrote.

To make me brave.
Then I let it out really slowly.

“OK,” said Polly. “I’ll give that a try.” She took a big slow breath and let it out with a funny sigh.

“There,” she said.

Polly started laughing and Ethan laughed too. Then they heard a meow. Merlin padded into the cabin and jumped on the bed, as if she didn’t want to miss out on the fun.

Polly stroked Merlin. “Ethan, have you tried to talk since you stopped?”

Ethan shook his head.

“They were mean to you at school, weren’t they? Was it because you didn’t speak?”

He nodded.

 

Mum and Dad want me to go back,

he wrote.

To another school.

 

“Maybe you should,” said Polly. “Your mum and dad would love that. And they’d love it if you spoke.” Polly was quiet for a moment. “My dad would love it if I went back home.”

Polly looked like she might really cry this time. He wrote fast:

You can borrow Merlin for a night.
So you don’t get lonely.
So you don’t miss your dad as much.

Polly scooped up Merlin and held her tight. “Can I really?” she smiled.

Ethan nodded. Polly looked happier now and it was all because of his idea.

“Amazing,” said Polly. She stood up with Merlin in her arms.

“Can you show me more of the canal tomorrow?” she asked.

Come over tomorrow morning at ten.

Polly nodded hard. Ethan stood up. He led Polly back through the engine room and into the lounge.

“I’m borrowing Merlin, is that OK?” said Polly to Mum and Dad, who were sitting on the sofa.

Dad laughed. “Of course you can, Polly,” said Mum.

“Brilliant,” said Polly. “She’s going to sleep in my cabin. I’ll bring her back in the morning.”

“Walk Polly home, Ethan,” said Dad.

“And take some crumble for your mum,” said Mum, handing Polly a plastic container. “Come and see us anytime,” she said. “It’s great that Ethan’s found a friend on the canal.”

 

That night, Ethan woke with a jump. He was hot all over. He’d had the tree house nightmare again. But this time it was more real, more frightening. He and Dad were underneath the tree house. The boy was stamping on the tree-house floor, kicking the walls and shouting rude words. But he was laughing cruelly this time, twisting his face into frightening shapes and shaking his fist at them. Planks were falling from the floor of the tree house. The boy ripped off a plank from the roof and threw it to the ground. The noise stabbed right through Ethan and made him flinch. And Dad was even angrier than before. Dad was shouting, “Stop!” so loudly it hurt Ethan’s ears.

Ethan turned on his lamp. Why wouldn’t the nightmare go away? He hated having it, but he couldn’t stop it.

He had to go back to the tree house and find out what had gone on there.

Mum and Dad would be at work tomorrow.

Tomorrow, he’d take Polly to the tree house.