My list was the longest. Mum doesn’t like other people knowing her business and now the whole street will be asking about Mr Johnson, Dad and Mr Driver meeting in the middle of the day. Also, Mum will think Mrs Johnson won because I get Sixpence and she hates Mrs Johnson. Also, Dad will think he has to do a good thing for Caleb and Ruthy now and that might mean football and writing school and Mum will think I have won and turned us into Catholics or people of the world but not in the world. And this will mean Aunty Maisie has won because she believes Mum is full of vanity and does not love God enough. And this will make Dad very sad because Grandpa might find out and think he is not following the Ways of the Lord.

Ruthy was very impressed with my list. She said she’s never seen me choose to write so much, and I think that was actually true. She also liked it because she and Caleb started to cheer that they might get their wishes too, and I had to remind them the only thing we knew for sure was that Sixpence would come to live with us this very day, and we would have to wait to see about the other hopes and prayers. Ruthy said a prayer might be a very good idea, so we sat on the edge of the tree house platform and joined hands and closed our eyes and Ruthy prayed for us.

‘Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you today, your humble servants, strong in the sure and certain resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We beseech thee, Father, to hear our prayers and grant your humble servants Caleb and Ruthy their wish to be famous footballers and writers, now that you have granted our sister Dorcas her greatest wish to have her baby guinea pig come to live with us.

‘Dear Heavenly Father, please make Mum continue in the way of happy and Jesus days, and make Caleb’s lungs very strong so Sixpence can’t cause him a mucus build-up in his bronchiole. Please ask Mr Bednarski to send Dad home for chocolate and tellie on Fridays, and bless Mr Driver’s stump so it doesn’t itch in the heat. Please also stop Aunty Maisie from scaring Caleb when he goes to her toilet so he doesn’t wet himself instead. And if possible, make sure Grandpa has plenty of butterscotch lollies because he really likes them.

‘Grant us Thy grace and mercy and hear our prayer. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, Amen.’

Caleb and I both congratulated her on a very grownup and fairly comprehensive prayer, and Caleb asked if she could just add a football jumper to the list, and if she could explain what a bee’s itch had to do with anything.

We went in for breakfast and Mum was up with Dad, who was about to leave. What happened next occurred so quickly and in a blur that was sort of slow motion but also like a roller-coaster.