“Ha,” the old man said eventually. “Now, Harry. I was planning to talk to you about all this. Yes. You see, well, you, ah—I mean, it sounds silly even saying it—but you . . . Are you sure you’re feeling okay, old chap? Quite yourself?”

“I’m feelin’ fine,” Harry said. “And I’d feel even better if you’d get to the point.”

“Of course. Well, thing is—” The old man threw another look at Alex. Alex shrugged helplessly. His grandfather turned back to Harry and tried a reassuring grin. “Thing is . . . Harry. You died.”

Harry looked at Alex, then back to Alex’s grandfather. “Eh?”

“Died. Dead. They killed you. Snapped your neck, far as I could tell.”

“This is us breaking it to him gently, is it?” Alex said.

“I think you’ll find,” his grandfather said, “it was you who let this particular cat out of the bag. Are you okay, Harry?”

Harry was staring at the ground. He looked up. “You sure?”

“Well, yes. I, ah, buried you. A little.”

“But, when . . . I mean . . . ’ow long?”

“Three days. More or less.”

Harry looked away, at the sky, gray patched blue where the clouds were thinning, at the damp green fields, trees hugging the horizon. His lip trembled. He rubbed quickly at one eye with the heel of his hand, then sniffed and straightened.

“I’m not sure ’ow I feel about that.”

“Well, no.” Alex’s grandfather nodded sympathetically. “I mean, of course.”

They stood in an awkward silence broken only by the sound of the old man tapping his boots with his cane to dislodge some dirt. He glanced up at Harry from under his hat brim.

“Mind if I try your pulse?”

Harry shrugged, held out his hand.

“Strong as a horse,” Alex’s grandfather said after testing Harry’s wrist. “Oh, by the way, here’s your watch back. Harry, do you feel any different?”

“Hmm.” Harry stretched, then rolled his shoulders and flexed his knees. “Pain in me ’ip.”

“Pain in your hip?”

“Yeah. It’s totally gone. It’s all cleared up.”

“And after you . . . woke up, you just found Alex, by chance?” the old man asked.

“Eh, well, yeah. I mean, I was walkin’ and just ’ad a feelin’ about the direction to go.”

“Uh-huh. Harry, try something for me, would you?” Alex’s grandfather said. “Close your eyes and don’t open them until I say. Now let me just turn you around on the spot here.”

Gripping Harry gently by the shoulders, he spun him slowly around three times. “Good man. Keep your eyes closed. Now, Alex, quietly as you can, could you walk over there?”

Alex shrugged and went a few steps in the direction the old man pointed.

“Okay. Now, Harry: keeping your eyes shut, could you point to where you think Alex is?”

Harry blindly aimed a big thumb over his left shoulder, straight at Alex.