It’s February half-term, and Saffron has taken a week off to spend time with Ben and Harry. And even though she has given me the week off too, today she is taking Ben and Harry to London Zoo, and I’ve asked to go with them, to help. That way Saffron pays for my ticket and my lunch. I will be able to take loads of photos of the oldest zoo in the world and send them back home. My mum has been pestering me to send some photographs of London for a while. London is somewhere she always wanted to visit, but never got the opportunity. And of course I’ll be writing a blow-by-blow account for her in my diary.

After today I’m going to spend the rest of the week with Jono. He’s promised to take me to both the cinema and the theatre. And to Nando’s in Walton-on-Thames. Hardly Rules of Covent Garden with its intimate private booths and uniformed doorman. But at least it is something to do.

But today, Monday 19th February, at London Zoo we are starting with the reptile house. Taking a photo outside. Ben and Harry jumping up and down with excitement. We have watched an old clip of the Magic Roundabout, so they’re pretending to be Zebedee. ‘Boing, boing,’ they shout as they jump.

‘Let’s see the spiders first,’ Harry insists.

I shudder inside.

‘It’s a walk-through exhibit,’ Saffron explains as she stands engrossed in the zoo’s brochure.

‘I’ll give it a miss then,’ I try.

‘No. No,’ Harry says. ‘You’ve got to come with me. I want to hold your hand, Hayley.’

Saffron looks at me with concern. ‘Don’t make her if she doesn’t want to.’

‘Please. Please, Hayley, please.’

‘OK,’ I say, trying to push my fear of spiders away. But who can refuse the request of an angelic young child? I mustn’t communicate my dread to him. Harry holds my hand tightly. His hand in mine emboldens me. Ben attaches himself to Saffron’s. We step inside and are surrounded by ugly pulpy bodies and dangling legs. Some spiders are behind glass. Some are lying in webs which almost brush against our faces. I want to scream. I wince and step back.

A young zookeeper, in a smart beige uniform, walks towards me. ‘The spiders in the open are completely docile. They never leave their webs. They’re totally harmless to humans. We would never let them roam like this if there was any danger.’

He walks along with us to reassure me. The children seem totally unconcerned.