Run to me, we’ll run and hide,

And seek a place, beneath the tide.’

‘Do you hear that?’ Shane asked. ‘Isn’t it the most beautiful thing you’ve ever heard?’

It was. It was beautiful and sad and Cat wanted nothing more than to find the singer and comfort them. They sounded so lonely. But then …

A too-wide face pressed against glass.

A baby boy with eyes the colour of emeralds.

The smell of disinfectant.

The memories came at her sharp and quick. She didn’t want to deal with anything painful. Not tonight. Cat moaned and clenched her hands into tight fists.

Iron and salt.

A faded notebook.

A warning – ‘Cover your ears’.

The memories kept coming, beating away at her defences. Why were they here, ruining her perfect evening? What did they want from her? She tried to fight, tried to block them out, but all she could hear was a voice in her head saying, ‘Cover your ears, Caitriona, cover your ears!’

Cat had had enough. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her hands against her ears. All she wanted was to make the memories stop, but instead it brought everything back into focus.

‘Mikey!’ she gasped. The whole day came flooding back to her and she wondered how on earth she could ever have forgotten. She remembered Granny’s words:

If you hear the fairy music, block your ears.

It was the music! The music was bewitching them. She had to warn Shane. Still clamping her hands tightly to her ears, she turned to him and realised with horror he was gone. Cat leapt to her feet and looked around frantically. He couldn’t have gone far. He’d been right there just a moment ago, hadn’t he?

Finally, she caught sight of his bright red hair disappearing down a slope. Cat took off after him, almost tripping in her haste.

Stupid Cat, this is what you get for not heeding Granny’s warnings.

As she reached the crest of the hill, she spotted Shane walking toward the edge of a tree-lined lake. Its surface was still and shone like polished steel in the moonlight. For a split second she was thrown. She had never seen this lake before. Had they wandered so far off course?

Shane was right at the water’s edge now and Cat knew with horrifying certainty he was about to jump in. She had to stop him, but he was too far away.

‘Shane!’ Cat called. ‘Don’t listen to the music!’

He turned slowly, as if in a trance. ‘Do you see her, Cat?’ he yelled back. ‘I have to help her, she’s so alone.’

Cat didn’t know what he was talking about and was about to yell at him again when she spotted a small hump of grassy land peeking out of the water like the back of a large turtle. Standing on the hump was a girl. She stood stock still on the small island and although a light breeze rippled the surface of the lake, not a single hair on her head moved. Her entire body seemed to flicker as though it were a flame that was about to sputter out and Cat realised she was looking at a ghost.