I open the cabin door and the icy rain is like a thousand needles stinging my face. The cold is so shocking I have to remind myself to breathe. Inhaling the salt smell of the sea, I step into the night. It’s two miles from here to the coast, but now there are no fields dotted with yellow flowers, and no twinkling sea beyond – just a slab of black. The island’s vast spaces – its long sweeping beaches, jagged mountains and dense forests – didn’t worry me in summer, but in the dark … I don’t like to think what might be out there.

Making my way down the rickety steps, I sweep the torch across the path and see weed stalks dripping with water. I long to shine the beam into the darkness but I know the light will be swallowed up; better to keep it pointed down.

Clouds drift apart to reveal a glimpse of moonlight, sending shadows racing over the ground. My body tenses. Someone is watching me. I shake the idea from my head but the thought creeps up and taps me on the shoulder, insistent.

The beam shakes as I point the torch at the wooden shed. Swallowing my fear, I force my feet to move. There’s something to my left. A shadow at the edge of my vision. I turn, heart pounding.

Just wind and rain.

It’s because you can’t see from that side, I tell myself. Nothing is going to jump out at you.

A raven’s caw cuts through the night. I startle and the torch thuds to the ground. ‘Shit!’ I grab it and stab uselessly at the button. Before me, the shed door bangs lightly in the wind. It hasn’t been latched on the outside – it must have got caught on something inside. My palms burn despite the cold. I start to nudge the door when I hear scratching.

My voice is tiny. ‘Gandalf? Is that you?’

I push the door and something leaps out at me. I gasp and stumble backwards. ‘Gandalf!’

He throws himself against my legs and I kneel to accept his frenzied licks. He’s much bigger than I remember. His head and body are heavyset, his thick silver fur warm despite the cold.

‘You poor thing! How long have you been here?’

I run my hand along his back and curly tail. ‘Good boy! It’s good to see you too!’ He licks my face and I hug him, breathing in his familiar smell. His warmth is so comforting I don’t want to let him go. I hadn’t realised how much I missed him until now.

A shadow shifts inside the shed. The dog moves towards it.

‘Gandalf, stay!’