‘Oi, Wormy,’ he said. ‘You want to come out now and say hello to these nice people?’

The blanket shook. There were some muffled words from underneath it. He really could talk then.

‘He don’t want to show his face,’ said Kyle, and then Achilleus came striding over. He gave Ed and Kyle a dirty look.

‘If he’s coming in here we want to see him,’ he snarled, and snatched the blanket off.

Brooke winced and took a step back as the man was revealed. Apart from a green bowler hat he was naked and covered all over with more of the green mould, along with the familiar lumps and boils of the diseased. His long arms dangled at his sides and she saw that he had very long yellow fingernails. He looked shy, blinking, but also a little sly, peering out of the corners of his pale eyes as he took in his surroundings. Finally he looked at Brooke and licked his lips.

‘Butters,’ said Achilleus, lifting his spearhead towards the man.

Then there was a shout from across the hall and the sound of running feet. It was Fish-Face. She was tearing towards the man, her arms held out in front of her.

A look of recognition followed by great sadness came over the Green Man’s face and he held his own arms out towards her.

Fish-Face was sobbing. She ran into his arms, crying, ‘Daddy, my daddy.’

Achilleus gave a snort of laughter.

‘Now that’s something you don’t see every day,’ he said.

Chapter 96

96

Ella was awake in the dark. The faint glow of the moon through the curtains did little more than fill the blackness with vague grey shapes. The larger blob was an armchair. The lumpy shape lying on some cushions on the floor was Robbie. The dark square against the wall must be the television.

Ella could hear breathing. She had gone to sleep sandwiched between Monkey-Boy and Maeve on a big double bed. It reassured her, knowing that Maeve was sleeping next to them. Like when Ella had bad dreams when she was little and would creep into Mum and Dad’s bed in the middle of the night. If only it wasn’t so dark. She didn’t like the dark. She hoped that her eyes would adjust to the light and show her more of the room, but she soon figured out that this was as good as it was going to get. She had to try to get back to sleep.

Something had woken her, though. Something in her head had told her to fight off sleep and open her eyes. What was it? A sound maybe? She listened. Apart from the steady breathing at her side it was absolutely quiet. She concentrated, trying to remember what had come to her in her dreams. If not a sound, then what? A movement? Had Maeve stirred?