He kept walking away and he said as we ran after him, ‘No, you can’t come with me. Go home. Go back to your house now, to your mother and sister…’

I was fascinated by his long legs limping fast away. Long, long legs.

My heart jumped. I called to Saffie, ‘Let’s go home. Saffie! We’ve got to go back…’

She took no notice and ran ahead of the man, up the stone steps to the lighthouse. I ran after her into the sudden shade of the trees but I couldn’t see her. I darted about, whispering, calling her but she did not come.

The man came up the steps, took his glasses off to wipe them, blinking irritably in the sudden shadow, and my heart hammered. I knew his face. I knew where I had seen it before.

He called Saffie too, not her name, he just called, ‘Hello’ and ‘where are you?’

She was waiting at the turn of the path holding fir cones in her hand. ‘Here I am! I can walk with you. I can… We’re not allowed to talk to strangers, but you’re not a stranger, so mummy won’t mind.’

She went closer to him. ‘I think I remember you.’ She said, peering up into his face. ‘You were daddy’s friend.’

Saffie was lying. She didn’t remember him but she did not want to go back to the house.

The man bent suddenly in front of her and held her arms. I ran to her side. Saffie, come away! Come away!

‘What do you remember?’ The man asked and his voice was cold and hard.

Saffie, abruptly subdued, was silent.

‘What – do – you – remember?’ He shook her, bringing his face close to hers.

I bent to her ear. ‘Tell him, Saffie…Tell him the truth, you don’t remember him at all.’

But Saffie was frightened now. Her eyes were growing huge with fear at the thing in his eyes.

‘Come on, answer me. What were you going to say?’ His voice made us both shiver.

I wrapped my arms round Saffie from behind, held her to me.

‘Nothing.’ Saffie’s voice was tiny, like a whimper. ‘I want to go home now…’ She tried to pull her arms away from his hands.

‘But I’m your daddy’s friend, aren’t I? You said so. What made you think that? What made you think we were friends?’

Saffie looked at him bewildered, her bottom lip wobbling. Little beads of sweat lay on her forehead. ‘Because…because…you flew with my dad and…’ She stopped as he gripped her arms tighter.

I screamed then. ‘She doesn’t know! It was me! It was me. I saw you that day. I saw you…It was me…’

He did not hear me. He bent so that his eyes were level with Saffie’s.

‘So you do remember me as your daddy’s friend, Saffie?’ His voice was soft.

Saffie desperately nodded her head up and down, thinking this was what he wanted to hear. Her face was white and very frightened.