‘OK, OK!’ Dr Jones raised her hands for quiet again. It took a little bit longer this time, because nobody wanted to risk having to listen to Old Albert, and a few other people stood up to make exactly that point. But eventually there was hush again. ‘OK, why don’t those of you who want to listen to the lectures go to the back of the hut, and those of you who want to discuss escape plans come to the front.’

Nobody moved, including Carol and Old Albert.

‘OK, then,’ said Dr Jones, with an air of solemnity, and possibly also tiredness. ‘We’ve managed to get a boat here, which was kindly pushed out to us by some people on the shore.’ There were a few hisses at this point.

‘They pushed another two out to us as well. One of the other boats might eventually make its way here, but it might also just head back to shore. Given that we know the Jellyfish wouldn’t let us escape on any of the many, many rafts we’ve made, what are we going to do with a boat that’s different?’

There was an immediate surge of suggestions. In fact, there were so many suggestions it was really difficult to hear any of them. Lana sat down. Her face was calmer.

‘A boat is different from a raft, though, isn’t it?’ whispered Kate. ‘It’s got a roof and sides. And it’s much more professional.’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘But I’ve been on a professionally built boat before. In Before. I seem to remember that’s how I ended up stuck here.’

Lana, Kate and James smiled.

‘It’s not different from a raft at all,’ said James. ‘A roof and sides wouldn’t stop tentacles getting inside it.’

‘Yeah, well, it was abandoned and floating on the shore,’ said Lana. ‘It’s not like its owners had time to park it neatly in a boat house somewhere.’

‘I’m sure they got away though,’ said Kate. ‘It might just have floated out of where they parked it.’

James sniggered. ‘Yeah Kate. That’s absolutely what happened. In no way were they dragged out of it and pulled down to the ocean bed.’

‘The tentacles aren’t even as annoying as you three,’ said Lana. ‘At least with a boat here I can go and sit somewhere and get away from you.’

Around us, the room was quietening down again.

‘So we’ve got a list of things to try which are different,’ said Dr Jones. ‘Ideas which we haven’t tried before.’

There were nods and smiles.