“Whatever.” He waved my words away and looked straight past me at Dad and Kate. “My name’s Will. I’m one of the guga hunters.”

“Oh, so you arrived a day early?” I saw a stiffness 50come into Dad’s shoulders. “I’m Doctor Nathan Oliver, but I suppose you know that already.”

He held out his hand, but Will didn’t take it. “You have to leave,” he said.

“Now listen, young man,” Dad said, dropping his hand and using his gruff, no-nonsense tone. “I don’t know why you’re here, but we’re not leaving Bird Rock. We’ll just have to share this island for the next two weeks. I hope that we can keep out of one another’s way. If you don’t disturb our work, then I promise we won’t disturb yours either.”

“No.” Will shook his head and took a step forward. “You don’t understand. I mean you can’t be here. In the lighthouse.”

Dad stared at him. “I beg your pardon?”

“There’s something wrong with it.” Will’s jaw tightened. “I know how this sounds, but you need to listen. The lighthouse is haunted. Cursed. It’s a dangerous place. Something will happen if you stay here. Something bad—”

“That’s enough.” Dad sounded suddenly angry. “We’ve already been here for three days, and apart from some irritating flies it’s been perfectly fine. If you think some old ghost story is going to unsettle 51us, then you’re mistaken. Now please go back to the other hunters. I don’t want to see you hanging around here again.”

Will shook his head, a bleak look in his eyes. “When things start to go wrong – and at some point they will – please think about what I said. And radio for a boat at once. Don’t delay. Just get yourselves off this island. Before it’s too late.”

And with that he turned and began to walk slowly down the path leading to the cliff. Dad closed the door on him firmly and looked back at us with a forced smile.

“Well,” he said, “I told you there might be tensions with the guga hunters. It’s a shame we couldn’t have come to the island after they’d left, but there we are. I think it’s best that you steer clear of them.”

“He was talking about the missing keepers,” Rosie said, unable to keep the excitement from her voice. “Wasn’t he?”

“Well, there is a bit of a story attached to the lighthouse,” Dad replied. “It’s an urban legend – like the Mary Celeste.”

I glanced at Charlie, wondering if he was spooked by any of this, but he looked pleased. 52

“Some of the keepers who worked here went maaaaaad,” he announced.