Treasure ran upstairs and flung off his uniform. School was finished for the summer! He changed into a T-shirt and shorts. It was stifling indoors. He opened the window and saw Jimmy Cox in the garden next door. Saw what he did. Treasure raced downstairs fuelled by fury but without a plan. There was a passageway between the two houses that led to the gates into their back gardens. He jumped and managed to grab the top edge of Jimmy Cox’s gate, which was always kept bolted. He hauled himself up until he was able to scrabble over the top and drop down into his neighbour’s yard. A small window in the side wall of the house gave a view into the kitchen and Treasure peered cautiously through the grimy glass. Jimmy Cox was frantically searching for something in a drawer. He threw the contents onto the draining board with one hand, and with the other he clawed at his throat. He was sucking for air as greedily as a nursing pup milking its mother’s teat, and his lips were blue. He finally found what he was looking for, but as he grabbed it, it shot out of his grasp and pin-wheeled across the floor. Jimmy Cox collapsed onto his knees and then fell forwards, his arm outstretched in a vain attempt to retrieve what he had dropped. His fingers crept painfully over the linoleum like a sickly spider, but the object they were seeking was just out of reach. The dog was watching from the doorstep. As the asthma inhaler spun away from Jimmy Cox, she darted into the kitchen, snatched it between her teeth and ran out into the garden clutching her prize. All she knew was that for once she had a chance to deprive her cruel master of something he wanted and so she took it. Treasure watched in astonishment. For a moment he was frozen by fear and indecision. His trance was broken by the soft brush of fur against his leg. The dog was standing beside him, trembling, the inhaler still in her mouth. He reached down to stroke her head. She flinched but didn’t move away. Treasure looked back through the window. Jimmy Cox was still lying on the floor motionless, but Treasure couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not. He squatted down next to the dog and she crawled closer to him, pushing her head against his chest.