I looked at the eroded gully wall. For moments at a time I felt absolutely fine, but then the cramps came and stopped me in my tracks. The drugs were kicking in, which was good, but they were making me feel a bit dopey.

Leonie was looking at me. ‘Maybe not,’ she said. ‘Up you come,’ and she gave my arms a haul and twisted herself underneath me so before I knew it I was being piggybacked.

‘Ah, I remember this,’ she said. ‘Parenting is mostly about lugging people around – even more than nursing.’

I felt like a fool, but there was also something about being carried like a little kid . . . I leaned into it and let her carry me up and out of the gully. When we were standing on the edge, looking back in, waiting for Basil to come back to shore from swinging on the willow, I said, ‘Why did you say Basil shouldn’t have brought me here?’

‘Did I say that?’

‘You said something to Basil about bringing me here?’

Leonie shook her head. ‘Oh, no. Basil was right. There’s a story of this place that you should hear one day, that’s all.’

‘Tell me now.’

‘Now isn’t the time, honey. It’s not a pretty story. I’ll tell you soon.’

‘I really fucking wish people would quit not telling me things.’

Leonie laughed quietly and then her voice came in jagged breaths as she set off carrying me across the paddock. ‘That is a very fair point, my girl. A fair point.’

31

The three of us managed to get me out of the gully. Basil carried me piggyback for some of the way too. And then, feeling much better, I walked nearly the rest of the way, and when my headache started to resurface Leonie took over again and Basil walked alongside us, carrying my things.

The wind had picked up. Darker clouds were coming in now from the south, nudging the gentle grey ones away.

Leonie was puffing as we approached the fence, but when she stopped suddenly I lifted my head from her shoulder to look again at Bromley Cairn. I didn’t know what made me do it, but I wanted to look up at the top window, at the place where I had stood earlier, feeling watched. And there – a thrill ran through me – was a pale face shimmering in the glass in front of the darkness behind. A boy, or a man, I couldn’t tell. Watching me. And then it was gone. Sunk back into the shadows.

‘Oh my god,’ I said. I slid from Leonie’s back and stood staring at the top window.

‘What is it?’ said Leonie. ‘More pain?’

‘Who was that?’ I was pointing, up at the top window. ‘Someone was just there. I just saw someone there, watching us.’

‘In Bromley Cairn?’ said Leonie, at first disbelieving, but quickly her expression changing – her mind was working, I could see it. She turned and looked at Basil.