‘Maybe it’s because he’s sensitive to light.’ Jake licks tomato from his lips. ‘Or he’s a werewolf and comes out at night.’

‘He’s not a werewolf,’ I say. ‘He goes to the shops and doctors in the day.’

‘That’s just his cover,’ says Jake. ‘He’s a werewolf with a pink car.’ Jake laughs. I smile, but as I look at Grandma’s car it reminds me that I miss her loads, that if she were alive maybe she’d be taking me to the cinema this weekend.

Jake throws the empty pizza box over the side and looks up at the hill. He says something about the enemy coming down both sides of the hill into the valley, but I’m not really listening because I’m looking across the park, at Granddad’s pink car, then the green front door of his house.

I wish I hadn’t stormed out and left him on his own. He’ll be sitting in his armchair in the dark now, watching TV. It must be really lonely. I wish I hadn’t shouted at him. I wish I could go back and—

‘What do you reckon? Felix!’ Jake punches me on the arm.

‘Ouch!’ I say. ‘That hurt.’

‘Yeah, but you were miles away. I asked if you’re going to help me load the cannons or not?’

‘Okay,’ I sigh. I crawl across the platform and pull out the cannons. Jake elevates them to forty-five degrees, then jams the powder in. I pick up a ball and roll it down the barrel, then we take aim at a point between the electricity pylon and the water tower, where we last saw the smoke last night. Sometimes I think I’m too old to play games like this, that if anyone found out at school they’d laugh at us. Jake says it doesn’t matter what they think, but we swore to each other that we would never tell, just in case. I don’t think he’d ever say anything anyway, because from the smile on his face I know he likes escaping up here as much as me.

‘Light the fuse,’ he says.

‘Lighting fuse,’ I repeat.

‘Stand back.’

‘Stand back.’

‘Fire!’

‘Fire!’

Me and Jake cover our ears and go back to war.

No Way!

‘Well, I think you’re being very unreasonable, Felix. It’s only two days.’

‘Two days! That’s forever! I can’t, Mum. All he does is read his chess book and watch German TV.’

‘Well, that’s mean.’ Mum drops some clean clothes on the end of my bed. ‘You know your granddad has been lonely since your gran died. He needs company and, besides, it’ll be good for you.’