Out in the corridor, she pushed open the door to the spiral steps that led up and outside. All was quiet in the other suites, and she cast a glance back at Anna’s door. What had Tommy meant by ‘We’re going up to the deck’? Who was ‘we’ – his fishing buddies? Or Anna? She shivered, wondering when this had been arranged, or if someone had texted Tommy to tell him about the clear sky and the prospect of the Northern Lights.

Up and up she went, and as she pulled herself from stair to stair, she realised how utterly different the ship was in the midnight hours. From deep in the bowels of the boat she heard clangs and metal scraping. The low hum of the engine, which she couldn’t remember hearing in the daytime, whirred beneath her. Everything else was deathly silent. She pushed herself to move faster.

For some reason, she had expected the top deck to be lit up. Instead, it was in total darkness. On the floor were tiny glowing circles, like emergency lighting strips in a hotel hallway. She pulled her coat tighter around her and wobbled as the vodka hit in the fresh air. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d thrown back so many shots in the space of a minute.

She hesitated, staying perfectly still, cocking her head as she listened for sounds of chatter that would lead her to Tommy, all the while trying to get her eyes to focus through the alcohol haze. She called his name, once, but heard nothing in reply. She wished it was lighter out here. The deck couldn’t be lit up, though; it would detract from the view of the Northern Lights. Still, it was a little intimidating, walking in the pitch-black.

With her arms outstretched in front of her, she made her way to the left side of the deck and clutched onto the railing. She peered over the edge, and found herself staring into nothingness. The sea was there, she could hear it, but the darkness was a hole, broken only by white foam as it shunted the side of the ship.

She looked up; what was that, at the far end of the ship? Dots of light floated in the air, tiny beams against the night sky. For an insane moment she thought of a UFO, and then wondered if this was the famous Northern Lights. But no, she’d seen photos of them, pictures on the internet. This wasn’t them.

Tommy! He was there, and judging by the pinpricks of light, he was with others, the torches on their mobiles or perhaps camera flashes lighting her way. She smiled. It wasn’t the Northern Lights, but never had she been so grateful to see light or people.