We carried on along the path, our breath streaming ahead of us and reaching the large clearing before we did. I could see the area hadn’t been cleared on purpose, it was empty because the vast tree at the centre of it was taking up all the space. Lit from beneath, the beams of light illuminated the bare branches. Or were they bare?

‘What is it?’ I frowned, detaching myself from Beamish and moving closer. ‘It looks like there are things tied to the tree.’

‘There are,’ he told me.

I circled the mighty trunk, spotting keys, letters, cloth flags and various trinkets, some of which looked like they’d been there for years. They moved gently in the breeze, some clashing together but making a melodious sound. I shivered, but not because of the chilly temperature.

‘But why?’ I whispered. ‘What is this?’

‘It’s a wishing tree,’ Beamish explained. ‘People come here to make special wishes. Not for silly things like money or a new car, but for things that really matter, things that really mean something.’

‘Money matters if you haven’t got any,’ I said, looking over at him, ‘but I know what you mean. Do people think the tree carries some sort of magic?’

Given the peculiar feeling which had coursed through my system when I first stepped into the clearing, I couldn’t deny that there was a certain something about the place.

‘I guess,’ said Beamish. ‘Molly’s the expert. You need to ask her really.’

I stopped next to him, gazing up into the branches and thinking how my time with Dolly was fast becoming a pilgrimage to wish fulfilment.

‘A wishing tree,’ I whispered. ‘Have you ever made a wish?’

I turned to look at him, only to find he was already looking at me. There was such tenderness in his eyes that it made my breath catch in my chest. I wondered if I should wish he wouldn’t look at me like that. I should have wished that he wouldn’t look at me like that, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

It suddenly dawned on me that he had wanted me to kiss him the other night. My forbidden feelings for him, if the look on his face was anything to go by and I was certain it was, were reciprocated.

‘No,’ he said, ‘I’ve never known what to wish for, until now.’

I didn’t dare ask what he had come up with.

‘Do you really have to move, Hattie?’ he then said. ‘I mean, you seem so content here with Dolly and working in the school. I can’t imagine that you could be any happier living anywhere else.’

‘You sound like, Anna,’ I smiled, trying to break the spell which held us entranced.

He shook his head.

‘This is just a holiday, Beamish,’ I said softly, ‘this isn’t forever.’

‘But it could be.’