“Why did he believe it?” says Vi. “Did he see something?”

“Yes,” says Jenny. “He would go out on the beach at night, at low tide, and walk in the moonlight. He swore blind that he saw things, scuttling from shadow to shadow or creeping along the sands, just at the edge of sight. One misty night he came back here at some crazy hour, banging on my door, gabbling about having seen the malamander. I liked him, so I didn’t mind. Everyone in this town has a story to tell about the foreshore on winter nights. It’s that kind of place. But Peter was sure he was on to something – something new. He was writing a book, a huge book. The definitive work on the subject, that’s what he called it. He said he was going to put the malamander on the map. He said he was going to solve the mystery once and for all. But he didn’t reckon on having competition.”

“Eels,” I say, and Jenny nods.

“Sebastian Eels was also writing a book. He’d been working on what was supposed to be the greatest work on the malamander for years, since long before Peter showed up. Looking back, I suppose it was inevitable they would clash. You see, while your dad came to believe passionately that the creature was real, Sebastian was equally certain that the malamander was just a story, a myth – a cautionary tale told over centuries to frighten children.”

“So what happened?” says Vi.

“They went hunting for it,” Jenny tells us. “Simple as that. After months of arguing and confronting each other, your dad said they should settle the matter once and for all and go out together to look for it. If they found the monster, then Sebastian would have to agree to abandon his book.”

“But,” I say, “what if they didn’t find it? Would Vi’s dad have stopped writing his book? That doesn’t seem fair. Not finding something doesn’t prove it isn’t there.”

“I know,” says Jenny. “But Peter was so sure of himself that he was willing to risk it. That was the deal they made. So one winter’s night, out on the beach, at a low tide of Peter’s choosing, they went monster-hunting together.”

“And did they find anything?” asks Vi.

“No one knows for sure what happened. They set out at ten o’clock with nothing but waterproofs, torches and cameras. The next day, early, a small crowd had gathered on the sea wall to watch them return – the whole town knew about the expedition. I was there myself. When the men came off the beach, they looked terrible. They were covered in silt and sand and their hair was wild. Neither one would speak, and to my knowledge the two never exchanged a single word again. Your father came straight here, to his room, packed and left town.”