‘I will,’ I say, following her into the hallway, holding my cuddly tiger by the tail. I’m wearing my slippers that are like fluffy rabbits, so I can’t walk as fast as her. She waves and disappears through the front door. I wave too.

I stand by the big glass doors in the lounge, watching her car zoom along the sand like a racing car, before I take the key from the secret place.

I head through the hallway, running my hand over the gold wallpaper – it’s not real gold – in fact, it’s peeling off in places – and up the stairs.

I’m panting by the time I get to the attic room because I’ve been counting all the steps, and my slippers are a bit heavy.

I unlock the red door, and push it open.

‘Hello,’ I say as I go inside. And the puppets all say hello back to me.

*

I’ve been playing for some time, when I hear a noise outside the red door. Footsteps, I think. I worry it might be a ghost, or Aunt Verity and that she’ll be cross I’m in here, so I tell the puppets to be quiet. ‘Shh,’ I say, pressing my finger on my lip as I climb into Grandpa’s magic box with my cuddly tiger.

The door to the attic squeaks open, and I curl up like a hedgehog, making myself invisible.

Chapter 35

Halloween Weekend 2019

Alice

Somewhere outside of Alice’s nightmare a door swings open. She tries to escape the vivid dream, screaming into the void as she’s dragged up the stairs towards the red door, away from everything she knows. She’s only a child, gripping a toy tiger in her small fists, her eyes sore, her cheeks raw from crying – Help me. Help me. Suddenly her father takes her in his arms and holds her close. She feels tiny against his chest as he runs, blood on his shirt.

A woman’s voice echoes, ‘Don’t go, Hugh. Please don’t leave.’

Leon

An orange flicker fights for life in some of the swinging lanterns that fringe the slope leading from Flynn Hotel down to the sea. Some have given up, no longer guiding the way. Light radiates from the house too, but visibility is poor. Leon huddles his arms around himself, as he makes his way towards the sea.

Quick footsteps startle him. He turns, heart thudding, eyes roaming the area. There’s movement in the shadows. Someone is here, watching him.

More footsteps. Moving away.

‘Lori?’ he calls, hearing the tremble in his voice. ‘Is that you? Gabriela?’ He shudders, turns, heads in the opposite direction towards the jetty at speed.