‘I’m sorry, Mola. What did you say?’

‘I say, now she has her dad, she is very happy girl!’

Her … her … Oh my God!

Seconds later, I’ve pushed through the people surrounding them, and I’m whooping with delight for her, and I’ve grabbed her in a big hug and spun her round and then I’ve hugged her very startled-looking dad, who I’m not at all surprised to see looks just like he did in the dream, and he smiles and hugs me back; I’ve even hugged Dennis.

And there, with the rain spotting my shirt and the wind flapping the flags to a frenzy, and Susan smiling and Sebastian scratching Dennis’s head, I understand just how lucky I have been.

Chapter 89

The rain has stopped now, and Seb and I are splashing our way back home through the puddles.

‘What do you reckon it was that Mam and Billy wanted to tell us?’ says Seb.

‘Haven’t a clue,’ I say, happily. It’s probably something to do with the fence, but I don’t really care.

‘Hey, Malky. All that Dreaminator stuff? We’ve been talking about it a lot, yeah?’

‘Mm-hmm.’ We certainly have. In fact, Susan, Seb and I have talked about little else for days. I have had no more waking dreams, and nor has Seb. Just normal, crazy ones that we both forget shortly after waking.

‘Thing is, Malky, I’ve stopped talking about it to other people. Not Erin, not Hassan … I reckon they will think we’re nuts.’

‘I think you may be right, Lil-Bro.’

‘So, we don’t tell anyone, eh?’

I put my arm round his little shoulders and smile.

‘Seb, my friend, I wouldn’t dream of it.’

THE END

Acknowledgements

Any book is a collaborative work, and I owe thanks to countless people – many of whom I don’t even know – who have played a part in making this story reach you.

Chief among these is my editor at HarperCollins, Nick Lake, whose thoughtful advice is always sound and helpful; also Samantha Stewart and Jane Tait, whose contributions are often disguised as small changes but which have a big impact. Thanks, too, to my brother Roy Welford for reading an early version and making valuable suggestions.

Last, but certainly not least, thank you to the booksellers, librarians, bloggers, teachers and others, for whose consistent support and recommendations I am hugely grateful.

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