‘I can … make some bikes,’ I say. I don’t care about Claudie or Haz or the passers-by seeing me do magic. I don’t care about anything but getting back to Dad.

I stand in front of two bench seats and scrunch up my eyes. ‘Spell. Transform into two push bikes,’ I say, picturing my old blue bike back home and willing the benches to become bikes.

Claudie gasps and Haz shouts, ‘Wow! How did you do that?’

‘No time to explain,’ I say, and grab one bike – exactly like my bike at home, even down to the basket on the front – and pass it to Claudie. ‘You ride on the back of Claudie’s bike, Mum. Haz, you’re on mine.’

‘Can I keep it?’ says Haz as they climb on. ‘Because you never taught me that card trick.’

‘Absolutely,’ I say.

Claudie pedals at top speed, leading us along footpaths and through a network of dark lanes, dodging cars and pedestrians and ringing her bell the whole way. Halfway up a lane, she drops her bike to the ground. ‘We’re on foot now,’ she calls over her shoulder.

We run through the back door of a shop, past racks of clothes and an astonished shopkeeper and out onto another street. I’m pulling Mum along, across a tiny park and down another narrow lane. I glance at Sylvie’s watch. We’ve got five minutes to get there.

‘Come on, Mum. Nearly there,’ I say, even though I have no idea how far we are from the magic shop.

We’re still running when I glance at the watch again. We’re out of time.

I stop, my chest heaving. Dad! I picture him standing by the Land Rover, checking his watch as our deadline rolls around. How long will it take for him to realise Mum and I are not coming? I’m sorry, Dad. I tried my hardest.

‘Claudie, it’s too late!’ I call.

Claudie calls back, ‘But Big Ben hasn’t chimed! It’s not actually five yet. Come on!’

We turn a corner and there is the Ultimate Magic Shop – and Meredith. ‘Hello,’ she says to Mum.

‘Hi,’ Mum replies, still breathing hard. They seem shy. I guess it’s a strange thing to meet your other self.

‘Is Pete okay?’ I ask Meredith.

‘Yes. He’s in hospital and gave me this for you. It’s a letter for the other Peter.’ She stuffs an envelope into my coat pocket as Big Ben’s musical chimes begin. We have only a few moments left.

I turn to Claudie. ‘This is for you.’ I hand her the rest of Pete Potts’s money. ‘Take Haz and go and find Kit and his parents.’

She nods, teary-eyed. ‘Thank you.’