‘Hand me the torch,’ Tilly said. ‘There’s something . . .’ She shone it along the ledge, but the box that had once housed the python was gone.

‘What?’ Jane said sharply, the word creating a echo. ‘What did you see. Are there . . . are there snakes?’

‘No. It was just a shadow that looked a bit like a box.’ Tilly flipped the torch higher and a positive storm of wings and beady eyes erupted from the cave roof, whirling distractedly above their heads. ‘Oops, sorry. Seen enough, Jane?’ The brief glimpse she’d had of the girl’s face had shown it to be pale.

‘Yes,’ she said thankfully. ‘Can we go, Luke?’

‘In a minute, love.’ He was staring at the silhouettes the bats made against the light from the cave mouth as they whirled about. ‘You got your camera there?’

‘Yes, but the flash doesn’t work, so I can’t—’

That’s okay,’ he said. ‘Tilly, shine the torch on the roof, would you? Stir ’em up again. I want to see . . .’ She obeyed and from the corner of her eye saw him crouch and suddenly leap, swiping at the air with his hat.

‘Got ya!’

‘What in the world?’ In the torchlight she saw him pinch the felt brim carefully together as he came towards them.

‘I need a pic of this little fella,’ he said. ‘I want to check him out. Come over where the light’s better, Jane. Let’s try for a really clear shot. Take several.’ Tilly watched him wriggle his fingers into the hat, heard the muttered, ‘Shit! Little bugger bit me!’ then he pulled the hat away, the tiny mammal held firmly between his fingers, one of which was bleeding. The bat was pale brown above, with a funny-shaped nose, and light-coloured belly fur. Luke positively beamed at it. ‘What a little beauty! Haven’t seen you before, mate. We’ll just find out what you are.’

‘How?’ Jane, clicking away, had recovered her colour.

‘We have a pretty good reference library at the homestead,’ Tilly said. ‘You’d better disinfect that bite, Luke.’

‘Yeah, in a minute. Right, that should do it.’ He opened his fingers and the bat shot away into the darkness behind them. ‘Okay, tour’s over. That was interesting, wasn’t it?’

When they returned that evening, tired and dirty from their afternoon labours, Tilly said, ‘You have first go at the bathroom, Jane. I want to check the garden.’ Neither Sophie nor Matt were particularly good at remembering to water it.