‘Hey!’ said Shane.

‘In any case, he was right. You’ve proven to be much more interesting than I thought you would be.’

Shane looked confused, as though he wasn’t sure whether or not he had just been insulted or complimented.

‘You won’t be killed,’ continued the Pooka. ‘But you will be swept away. If you behave, the Sídhe won’t treat you too badly. Who knows, you might even come to like it in time. Your friend Nancy has certainly come around.’

‘I won’t let them take us,’ said Cat defiantly.

‘I’m afraid you don’t have much choice in the matter. The Sídhe will chase you until the rooster crows and let me assure you, they’re not far away. Even now they’re finding a way around the stream and racing toward you.’

The trickster knows more than he shows, but all flee once the rooster crows.

The last words of the Clurichaun’s song clicked into place and suddenly Cat knew what they had to do. It was so simple she could have laughed. The Pooka thought that humans were obsessed with their shiny metal boxes of tricks, did he? Well, she would show him what one of those boxes could do.

A loud whinny cut through the air, startling her. The fairy host was closing in.

‘It seems your time has run out,’ said the Pooka, giving them a cheery wave. ‘You have made my night so much more interesting. What a pity it’s all going to be over soon. Farewell, Cat-of-the-Fairies, I have no doubt we’ll meet again one day, perhaps in another fifty years.’

With that, the Pooka threw back his head and transformed into a magpie with scarlet eyes. He took to the air with a loud screech, wheeled once above their heads and flew back up the hill with the other magpie in tow, leaving the children alone in the forest once again.

All flee once the rooster crows.

The sound of hoofbeats grew louder. She had only seconds to act.

‘Shane, do you still have your phone?’ she said, excitedly.

‘Yeah, but it wouldn’t turn on, remember?’

Cat’s heart sank, she had forgotten about that. But their unexpected dip in the lake had been hours ago. Surely it was dry enough by now?

‘Try it again.’

‘But Cat–’

‘Just do it. We have to try. It’s our last hope.’

Shane pulled the phone out of his pocket and Cat held her breath as he pressed down the button. For a second, nothing happened but finally, the screen lit up. Cat cried out in joy. This was going to work. It had to. She took the phone, tapped something in and handed it back to Shane.

‘When I give you the signal, hit play.’

‘What’s the signal?’

‘Probably me yelling really, really loud.’

A crash in the bushes drew their attention. It was time.

‘Are you ready?’ said Cat.

‘Not even a little bit,’ admitted Shane.

‘I’m frightened,’ said Jenny. She began to cry, which set Mikey off.