‘We’ve got to do something,’ he mutters. ‘We’ve got . . . I’ve got it!’ His face suddenly lights up like someone has given him ten doughnuts. ‘It’s easy! Just tell him you’ll play chess, but only if he does something you want to do in exchange.’

‘But I don’t want to play chess!’

‘You don’t have to. You pick something he’ll never be able to do, and he’ll say no, and then you won’t have to play chess.’

A smile creeps across my face.

‘That’s brilliant.’

‘I know.’ Jake beams.

‘But what shall I choose?’

‘Easy,’ says Jake. ‘Let’s make a list.’ He reaches into his bag and pulls out his maths book. ‘We’ll use this.’ He grins. ‘Now all we need is . . .’

Rebecca hands him a pen.

‘Thanks.’

‘Don’t mention it.’

‘Right,’ says Jake, ‘just shout stuff. Things you want to do that he’ll hate.’

‘Zip wire,’ I say.

‘Good one.’ Jake scribbles on his book. ‘No way would he be able to climb up a ladder or a tree. What else?’

‘Go-karts.’

‘Ha, yeah, go-karts. Imagine him going round in his pink car! Anything else?’

I shrug.

‘Don’t look at me,’ says Rebecca. ‘I think it’s a bit mean.’

I start to think she might be right, but before I can say anything Jake jumps up and shouts, ‘Scuba diving!’

‘What?’ Rebecca stares at me.

‘What?’ I turn to Jake.

‘Scuba diving! I’ve only ever seen young people do it and you have to be really fit like Bear Grylls.’

‘What’s Bear Grylls got to do with it? He’s a survival expert.’

‘Exactly.’ Jake puts his hand on my shoulder. ‘And Felix, my friend, this is survival!’

Guilty ☹

‘Scuba diving? Mmm . . . scuba diving?’ Granddad’s so shocked he’s repeating everything like my talking Action Man did after I dropped him in the bath. ‘Scuba diving?’

‘Yes, Granddad.’ I lean against the mantelpiece.

Granddad reads my ‘Ten things I’d like to do with Granddad’ list for the tenth time. ‘Scuba diving?’

‘Well, it doesn’t have to be scuba diving,’ I say. ‘It could be a zip wire, or skateboarding, or you take me to Thorpe Park . . .’

‘Yes.’ Granddad nods. ‘I see all these things are here on your list.’ He squints at my piece of paper. ‘But you have specifically circled scuba diving.’

‘I know, Granddad,’ I say, staring at Jake’s scrawled circle. ‘I just thought it might be fun, and maybe after you’ve done one of these things then we could play . . . chess?’

‘Mmm.’ Granddad looks at me suspiciously. ‘It is a good idea, but scuba diving . . .’ Granddad puts his cup of tea down on the dining table. ‘I’m thinking this is a bit of a strange one.’