I grabbed his arm and tugged. ‘Please, Patrick, please. You have to help us. The front door and the back door are locked. All of the downstairs windows are nailed shut, but maybe—’

‘I’m not from around here,’ he said, looking at my hand on his arm, ‘so I don’t know about any story like the one you’re talking about, but I have to say, it all sounds pretty far-fetched, you know?’

I let my hand drop to my side. ‘Emma, you tell him. Tell the nice man what happened to you.’

I looked down at Emma, whose face was buried in my side. Crouching down beside her, I whispered reassuring things and stroked her back, but she burst into tears.

‘I wa, wa, wa, want, my, mu, mu, mummy!’ she wailed.

Mother heard Emma and shouted, ‘Don’t worry, Little Doll, Mummy’s right here!’

I gritted my teeth and stood up. ‘Patrick, please, I know it sounds strange – and it is – I know how strange it sounds. I believed she was my mother until only a few days ago, but I’m telling you the truth. She’s crazy. She may seem normal, but she’s not. She’s insane. She kidnapped me and she kidnapped Emma.’

Tears of desperation streamed down my cheeks. ‘Please, Patrick, I’m begging you. Please believe me.’

His face creased with concern. ‘Has she hurt you? Does she … hit you?’

‘No, but, but I want to go home, back to my real parents. I shouldn’t be here. Emma shouldn’t be here. It’s not right.’

Patrick began to nod. He tugged on his earlobe. A frown had etched itself into his forehead making him look older. Finally, he sighed and looked me dead in the eye.

‘OK. I’ve heard you. I’m not saying I believe you completely, but it does seem like one helluva a big lie for such a little girl to make up … but I’m not about to go around smashing windows or dismantling them. For all I know, you being cooped up in here could have made you so desperate to get outside that you don’t care any more about being allergic to light.’

I opened my mouth to speak but he held up his hands. ‘Hang on, hang on. What I’m saying is, I’m going to go upstairs and talk to your mother.’

‘She isn’t—’

‘OK, OK – she isn’t your mother – I get that. So I’m going to talk to her, get her side of things, then I’ll see about what’s best.’

I shook my head. ‘No. Please don’t let her talk to you. Please just help us get out of here. You could leave right now. Go to the closest town and get the police. Bring them here. They’ll know. They’ll sort it all out, then you don’t have to do anything wrong.’