Our fears only came out of the Box if someone opened it, but the problem was, someone always opened it—it was just too tempting—and soon we had lots of creepy things running around Roar. But the Box really stopped being fun when Crowky became interested in it. He would sit up in a tree cackling when he heard our screams, and we realized that if he ever got hold of it, he’d have a weapon he could use against us, again and again. That’s when we knew we had to get rid of it.

So we tried to destroy it. We jumped on it. We threw it in Win’s bonfire. We even dropped it down the waterfall, but it was weirdly strong. Nothing could dent it. Then Rose asked Mitch to hide it for us, and that was the end of the Box . . . or so we thought.

“Do you think there’s any chance Crowky could have found it?” I ask.

“No way,” says Rose firmly. “If he’d found it, he would have opened it right there in front of the fire. He’s just trying to scare us and it’s worked, hasn’t it? You should see your face, Arthur!”

“Um . . . You two,” says Win. He’s stopped walking and is staring down at the sea. “We should probably get a move on. The tide’s coming in.”

“Why does that matter?” says Rose.

“Because soon the middle of the bridge will be underwater and then it will be impossible to cross.”

I look down and realize that the sea does seem to be closer to the bridge. “Win, why didn’t you tell us?” I say.

He looks confused. “I just did.”

I look back toward land. A thick fog has rolled across the cliffs, hiding the start of the bridge from view. “Anyone could creep up behind us,” I say.

The three of us stand in silence as fog twists around our legs and waves break beneath us. The bridge creaks, and then Win says, “How long do you reckon it would take Crowky to get from my cave to here?”

No one answers. Instead we all start running as fast as we possibly can along the bridge, desperate to beat the tide.

Chapter 16

“I think we’re too late!” shouts Rose. Up ahead, water has started to wash over the middle of the bridge. It bubbles and foams between the planks, before sucking away again.

A particularly big wave breaks beneath us, sending icy water shooting over our feet. “Come on,” I say, leading us forward. “We can climb along the handrails if we have to.”

Soon our feet and then our ankles are underwater. This slows us down, and so do the waves, but we cling to the ropes and keep wading on until the bridge starts to rise again.

“We’ve done it!” I yell.

And that’s when Win shouts, “HAIRY OCTOPUS!”