His smile gets bigger. A pair of black wings begins to unfold from his shoulders until feathers brush the deck. They’re still damaged, burnt and tattered in places, but new feathers have begun to grow back. He pushes back his shoulders and his coat gapes open. To my horror I realize that he’s wearing Grandad’s T-shirt. Small stitches crisscross rips in the fabric, holding it together.

Crowky reaches forward, grabs the front of my onesie, and pulls me closer. “What’s in the box, Arthur?” He laughs and the coldness that’s been creeping through my body reaches my face.

“Not . . . scared . . . ,” I whisper.

It’s a lie and Crowky knows it. His laugh gets louder, his grip tighter. “Have you ever wanted something just because you’re not allowed it, Arthur Trout?” I don’t reply. I can’t.

“I have,” he says, ramming his face into mine, “and you know what it is, don’t you? Home.”

He pauses to let his words sink in, his eyes locked on to mine.

“After you stole the Crow’s Nest from me, I had time to think, and I realized there must be something very precious in Home for you to guard it so carefully. What is it, Arthur?” He stares deep into my eyes. Snow falls on us. It lands on his feathers and my face. “Is it your grandad?” He taps a twig finger on my chest where my heart is. “Are there other precious things there too? Starting with your grandad, I’m going to find those things you love and take them away from you, just like you took my home away from me.”

Keeping one hand gripped around my chin, he reaches into his leather coat and pulls out a piece of paper. I recognize it immediately. “You know how I’m going to get to Home, don’t you?”

I stare at the image I know so well: the fang-like teeth of the frozen waterfall, the drop of water, the small box with the fish drawn inside it. Crowky thrusts it into my face. “The Box will show me the way. I just have to wait for your name to appear and then it will happen, because my dream is your nightmare! We just need to find it. We’re close, aren’t we? I wonder who will get there first?”

Then he squeezes my face, turning it around. I refuse to look at him. It’s the only thing I can do to fight back. Instead I stare into the distance. The mist is beginning to clear. It drifts away from the moon. Moonlight falls on the glittering waterfall, the frozen river, and the forest. One tree at the edge of the forest is bigger than the others. It rises above them like an arrow pointing to the sky. The moonlight shines on this too.