‘Where’s Dad?’ Jamie whines. It’s hard to know what to say to him. He gives her a blank face every time she says his dad’s at work. The scrubby grass that died in the summer has turned to mud, churned over by the dog running in circles. There’s a square of lawn left and a tangle of plants they don’t know the names of. Adam isn’t much of a gardener after all and neither is she. Somewhere for Jamie to play, that’s what they decided when they moved in. If he’s not coming back, she’ll have it cemented over. She steps back inside and slides the door closed.

Most evenings, lately, after Jamie is tucked up in bed, she browses fashion websites and buys a few bits and bobs to cheer herself up. They can’t really afford it, but a few more pounds here and there isn’t going to make much difference. If Adam were here, they would watch television after dinner or listen to music, usually his choice, Snow Patrol or Coldplay. She knows she should check up to see what bills have been paid and how much is left in the joint account, but Adam normally deals with the money side of things. Her shifts at the charity shop only cover a quarter of the mortgage and a few bills at a stretch, so there’s not much she can do about it until she talks to him. She daren’t even look at her credit card statement.

Once she’s confirmed her order for slipper socks and a new scarf and gloves, she makes herself a hot chocolate and sits on the sofa to sketch last night’s dream, still vivid and disturbing in her mind. That bloody apple tree. She’s convinced it’s haunted, or there’s some bad karma about it. Adam said it was so old the developers decided to keep it, especially as it fell within their boundaries for a garden. But it gives her the creeps.

In the dream, she could make out a face etched in the bark: a wide, twisted smile as the tree came to life. It bowed down and picked up little children, placed them on its branches, but the tree turned nasty, dropping them to the ground, breaking their bones. It’s been months since Jamie’s accident, but that day still haunts her.

Her A1 sketch book is almost full. She’s done most of it while Adam’s been away. He’d be impressed. Rob thinks she should see if they’ll include her work in the local artists’ exhibition at the library. She’s not that good though.