When they’d all stopped dancing around, Grandad straightened out his vest and told Gracie the plan. Marty watched her as it dawned on her what a bonkers thing they were about to do. Ever since this boat thing had started, he’d really wanted to tell his mum, but telling Gracie about it was the next best thing.

“So,” said Grandad expectantly, “what do you think?”

Gracie looked at him.

“I think it’s absolutely and insanely bonkers…!”

Grandad grinned broadly.

“Are you in?”

Marty looked at her.

“I am one hundred percent and absolutely IN!”

“Ha ha!” Grandad said in glee. “I knew you would be. I’m almost done on the engine. We’ll just need to carve a space for it in the bottom of the pumpkin after we scoop it all out, and then we’ll wedge that thing in there and fill in the gaps with expanding foam. It’s marvelous stuff. We’ll need a mast, of course. I’ve an old outside umbrella stick here somewhere and a sail. We’ll need some life jackets…”

“My dad,” said Gracie, “he started dingy sailing once. We’ve got a pile of life jackets in the garage.”

“Brilliant!” exclaimed Grandad. “Perfectly brilliant.”

“We’re talking four days, one over to Le Havre. One up the Seine and into Paris and two back. So we’ll need food, water.”

“And maybe a mobile phone?” asked Gracie. “I’ve got one of those.”

Grandad nodded. “Plastic bags to put things in to keep them dry…”

“And a bucket in case we need to bail out,” suggested Gracie.

“Good thinking, Batman, yes,” he said, and made a mental note.

“When is all this happening?” asked Gracie.

Grandad sucked in a breath between his teeth.

“Well, we’ll need the pumpkin to grow…”

“But we know how to make it grow now…,” Marty chipped in.

“Yes, but we’re going to need a lot of dreams and wishes,” replied Grandad.

“Where are we going to find those?” asked Marty. Grandad took him by the shoulders. “The people of this town, they’re full of dreams. Things they want and wish for!”

Grandad’s face was alive. He looked at Marty squarely, doing quick calculations in his head. “If we can find them and make it grow … we’re looking at sailing in September, probably around the second.”

Marty smiled.

“That’s Mum’s birthday,” he said.

Grandad smiled back at him. “Of course it is. Well, that’s just meant to be, then.”

Marty watched as Grandad clapped his hands.

“What we’re missing is some sailcloth for that sail…”

Gracie looked stumped.

“I know where we can find some,” Marty chimed in, “and strong rope.”