I said, “Is he a biscuit?” Which made her laugh.

Vaisey said, “So what’s Madame Gigi’s best advice?”

Then the bell rang for the end of break. Jo said, “Yeah, quick, give us one thing.”

Honey was quiet. Then she lisped, “The motht impowtant thing with boyth ith to tell the twuth about what you want.”

Blimey.

That’s great advice, except if I tell the truth about what I want, I don’t get it. Also I don’t know what the truth is. Or who to tell it to.

Sidone came back then to tell us time was up.

We said good-bye and Honey said, “Itth lovely here and evewyone ith lovely, but I mith my Twee Thithteth more than anything.”

We all had a little bit of a cry then.

Back in my squirrel room that night. I told Dibdobs I was studying The Taming of the Shrew for homework and went to bed early.

I was wondering about what Honey said about telling boys what you want. Is it really all right to do that? And what if they say no?

There was a knocking at the bottom of my door.

Oh no.

A little voice said, “Ug oo.”

The lunatic twins.

Ah well, in their own strange boy way they do seem to love me. I went to the door and opened it. There they were, sucking on their dodies with their tortoises under their arms.

Dibdobs came bobbing along from the boys’ room. “Helllloooooo, Lullah, the boys and Micky and Dicky wanted to say nighty-night.”

I said nighty-night and shut my door as they went off to their bedroom. I could hear her explaining things to the boys. “Lullah has to go to beddy-byes now because she’s doing a play at big school.”

Sam said, “Big pool.”

Dibdobs was chattering on. “Yes, it’s called The Taming of the Shrew. That’s a funny name, isn’t it, boys? Can you say The Taming of the Shrew?”

Max said, “Tamin’ of the shoe.”

Dibdobs laughed. “No, darling, it’s a SHREW.”

Sam shouted, “It’s a SHOE!!!!!”

When I had my breakfast the next day, Dibdobs looked a bit tired. The twins came in and looked at me and then handed me a shoe box. Max said, “SHOE house.”

Dibdobs shouted, “Boys, boys, I’ve explained to you a lot, haven’t I? It’s not a shoe, it’s a SHREW.”

Max and Sam nodded and repeated, “Not a shoe, it’s a SHOE!!!”

Should I put nail varnish on my hoofs?

PERFORMANCE LUNCHTIME DAY. STILL no news about Charlie. Ah well. That’s it. It’s been a week; he does officially hate me.

Perhaps if I see him in Heckmondwhite over the weekend, I could explain things to him. I don’t know how, as I can’t even explain things to me.

And I’m me.

There’s been no sign of Cain either.

Maybe he just hides in the moors and only comes out when he knows he has an opportunity to ruin my life.

Like, if I do see Charlie in the village, Cain will say, “Still following me abaht, are you?”