And he went out of the barn door.

Crikey. All right, he hadn’t said, “Be my girlfriend”—he’d said, “Be my friend”—but he had said a lot of other great things. So, hi diddily diddly diddly diddly!!

I was doing a spot of spontaneous Irish dancing in front of the owlets and singing, “I am a cracking kisser begorrah bejesus be—”

A voice behind me from the inky darkness said, “So tha’s a cracking kisser. That’s a turn up for t’books.”

Bloody Cain.

The black crow.

I could see the tip of his cigarette glowing.

I said, “Why are you always lurking around in the dark?”

Cain said, “P’raps I like it. P’raps I see more in the dark.”

I said, “Well, that’s because you’re always hiding from people who hate you.”

He came and stood in front of me.

“Aaah, aye, that’s mebbe true.”

I said huffily, as I made for the barn door, “Well, good evening.”

He looked down and said, “Off you go, Southern lass, back to your pratting around with your posh mates. I only come to say good-bye to the owlets.”

Why did he always turn up like a bad penny everywhere I went?

And see things I didn’t want him to see.

Back again in my squirrel room, looking out of the window. I was thinking about what Charlie had said. He said he liked everything about me. He liked the way I looked. He said I had nice eyes. He said I made him laugh. He said I was … what else?

I’m going to write it down in my Darkly Demanding Damson Diary. Not on the Daughter of Fang page. I’m starting an entirely new story. It’s going to be called:

The Girl with the Green Eyes

As she lay in her wooden boudoir, the girl with the green eyes thought back over her evening. She laughed softly as she remembered herself as she used to be. A silly girl, fond of dancing but with legs that alarmed small children and dogs.

But now, since Charles had said, “You are a naturally cracking kisser,” she had changed and grown less silly.

Hmmmmmmmm.

But if I was such a cracking kisser … why didn’t he kiss me?

OK, he kissed my hair, but that’s not the same thing. I don’t remember hair kissing being on Cousin Georgia’s snogging list.

Hmmmmmmmm.

Nice, though.

Anyway, I’m glad we are mates again.

I put my diary away under my pillow. Wait until I tell the Tree Sisters this.

I was all snuggly and warm in my bed and happy. Perhaps something nice might come out of this. Maybe we can save Dother Hall and I can put the bad times behind me. And boys might actually like me and want to kiss me.

As I was drifting into sleep, I could hear gunshots.

What fool was out hunting stuff at this time of night?

Then I sat up.

Cain!

Tunneling for his life

NEXT DAY WHEN I was crossing the green to go to Dother Hall, I saw Ruben and Seth sitting on the wall by The Blind Pig. Seth did a wolf whistle when he saw me. Which is unacceptable behavior, so I swished my hair and gave him a dirty look. He winked back at me. Honestly!