“Now, what was I going to update you on?” said Luella. “Oh yes, the apple harvest is bountiful, and they’ve sold lots at North Owlcot market. Your father has made about two-hundred jars of apple chutney from what I could see! Your mother says” – she stopped for a moment – “not to worry about the oiling of the mechanimals for winter, she’s taken care of it.”

“You’ve spoken with Mum? Is she all right with you?”

“She’s not as chatty as your dad, that’s for sure,” Luella chuckled. “But cordial enough. She said the mechanical plough needs fixing, and she can’t work out what it is.”

“Probably the rotary belt again. Thanks, Luella. I feel better knowing you’re keeping an eye on things for me.”

Luella blinked and smiled in the best way a pigeon can smile. “Now there was something else. The hoppity—”

“Hoppity-wrench.”

“Yes, it’s escaped again, but this time they can’t find it.”

“Oh dear, it always did seem to have a mind of its own.”

“They are rather desperate for you to visit, dear.”

Prue stood up and retied her hair. She missed the farm more than ever. “I’m going to visit home this weekend.”

“Good, I think they’ll like that.”

“Me too.”

After a while, Prue finished. “There. All fixed and good as new,” she said proudly. “How about a test flight?”

Luella extended her wings, then Prue watched, her grin wide, as Luella flew out of the window and zoomed at twice her usual speed around the factorium grounds.

“That was brilliant, thank you!” Luella said, flying back inside.

They sat together in silence for a while, watching the sun disappear behind Medlock in the west. The east side of the buildings became shadowed, while the tops blazed with rosy light.

“You should be getting back, dear. It’s a new moon and will be a dark evening and … bad things come out in the dark. There’s talk of strange things in the streets of Medlock.”

“That’s just silly ASL rumours.”

“Let’s … hope so.”

It was as though Luella’s increasing blank moments were momentarily taking her out of the world. At least soon, Prue would have a machine ready to test, and she would hopefully help Luella remember everything.

*

It was strange putting her dungarees on again. They felt familiar to Prue yet somehow awkward, as though they weren’t a part of her any more. Prue said a quick goodbye to Agapantha and Cora, then let herself out of the front door and made her way to the main square and station. Outside, a retriever personifate had a tray on the ground in front of him.

“Rights for Personifates, display your allegiance,” he called.

Prue paused. His tray was full of badges with the symbol she’d seen before of the human hand with a paw in its centre.