Minnie hardly recognised this efficient and organised version of Fleur – she had never been like this when she had been working at No Hard Fillings. It was too late to worry whether the scene was Disney enough. Leila would know what it was supposed to be the second she laid eyes on it – that was what mattered.

Everyone took their positions around the picnic rug, shielding Ian and the horse from view. The plan was for Leila’s new colleague Iggy to bring her here under the pretence of going to a mutual friend’s birthday picnic. The set-up was perfectly positioned behind some trees, so you would only see the full spectacle when you turned the corner.

Tourists stopped to take photos of them, asking if they were shooting a movie, and a group of small children started hugging one of the Teletubbies. Fleur yelled at them all to get out of the way. A crowd of onlookers had now gathered, and people had their phones out, filming, waiting to see what was going to happen. Minnie felt a surge of adrenaline as she looked around her. Even though they no longer worked together, everyone had come to help her create this fantasy for her best friend. Leila was going to be so impressed that Minnie had remembered every detail all these years later.

Finally, Leila and Iggy arrived. Minnie saw them coming around the line of trees, and she felt her chest buzz with anticipation. Leila stopped in her tracks when she saw the scene. Iggy, a willowy brunette in her twenties, pulled Leila’s hand and guided her over to the front of the picnic rug.

‘What the actual blazing fuck-nuts is going on here?’ Leila asked through nervous laughter. ‘Am I hallucinating? Is it This Is Your Life?’ Leila’s eyes darted around, and she pointed as she started recognising faces in the crowd.

‘Minnie? Is that you?’ she said, squinting at the mermaid.

‘Put this on,’ Iggy instructed, picking up the voluminous sparkling blue Cinderella dress folded neatly in a picnic basket.

This had been another excellent find from Fleur. One of her contacts ran a Cosplay site with replica dresses from all the movies. It turned out Fleur wasn’t a compulsive liar after all – she had delivered on everything she had promised. Her millionaire friend who’d invented seaweed packaging was here dressed as a fairy, and the location producer for Tarantino’s new ghost film was somewhere in the crowd too, recording everything for Fleur’s YouTube channel. Minnie felt bad for ever doubting her.