it gratefully.
‘Is that him?’ Tanya asked, noticing a framed photo on a nearby shelf. It showed a slightly younger Ratty with a smiling, handsome man. Like Ratty, he had very blue, almost turquoise eyes and thick, black hair that reached his shoulders. Against his dark skin, his teeth were dazzling white. He wore a silver hoop in each ear, giving him the appearance of a gypsy or a pirate. He looked, Tanya decided, like the kind of person who would know about fairies and she wanted to meet him. Very much indeed.
‘Will he be back soon?’ she asked.
Ratty was clattering about in the kitchen, pouring something fizzy into two tall glasses. ‘I never know with Pa. He’s normally back before dark, but sometimes he stays out all night.’ He placed the two glasses on the table and motioned for Tanya to take a seat. She started to slide on to one of the benches, but an angry chittering stopped her.
Turpin glowered in the doorway, stamping her feet. ‘Not there, stupid girl!’ she cried.
‘Oh,’ said Ratty apologetically. ‘She likes to sit that side.’ He patted the other bench. ‘Best sit here.’
Tanya squeezed into the narrow seat, silently taking a sip of her drink. It tasted of elderflowers, and she gulped the rest of it quickly, thirsty after the long walk. Ratty made to sit next to her, but was interrupted by a further protest from Turpin, who pounded the side of the van with her fist.
‘Whoops. Sorry, Turps.’ He scrambled to the door. ‘I almost forgot.’ He reached above and removed a sprig of dried red berries and leaves from a hook above the entrance. There was one, Tanya saw, in each of the windows, and Ratty quickly moved around the van, collecting them all.
‘What are those?’ Tanya asked.
‘Rowan berries.’ Ratty tossed the bunches into the driver’s seat in the front of the van. ‘It’s another deterrent to fairies. We put them in all the entrances whenever we go out to make sure we don’t have any unwelcome guests while we’re not here. Unfortunately, they work on Turpin, too.’
Tanya didn’t find this unfortunate at all – quite the opposite, in fact – but of course she did not say so. ‘Does she live in here with you then?’ she asked.
‘Most of the time,’ said Ratty. ‘But when the weather’s fine like it is now she sometimes makes a nest outside in the trees.’
Once the offending berries were out of sight, Turpin stomped into the van, nose in the air. She hopped on to the seat opposite Tanya and proceeded to empty her sack of loot on to the table. Out came the newspaper, the meat pie and iced bun, money, plus a few bits of fluff from people’s pockets and bags. Ratty brushed the fluff aside and hungrily unwrapped the food.
‘It was for you,’ she realised. ‘Turpin stole all these things for you.’
She regretted saying this immediately when Ratty lowered his eyes, embarrassed.
‘Sometimes there’s not much to eat,’ he explained. ‘Not fresh food anyway. Pa isn’t much of a cook – most of what we eat is out of tins.’ He offered the meat pie to Tanya. ‘Want some?’
She shook her head. She wasn’t hungry, but, even if she had been, knowing Turpin had handled it would have been enough to put her off. Besides, as Ratty crammed the pie into his mouth, she realised just how hungry he was. He broke off a small piece for Turpin, who scoffed it noisily. The iced bun didn’t last much longer. Finally, Ratty wiped his mouth and took a long drink. When he’d finished, Turpin leaned head first into his glass, lapping like a dog. Tanya watched, unable to mask her disgust, yet Ratty didn’t seem to mind. When Turpin finally came up for air, she belched in Tanya’s direction.
‘Charming,’ Tanya muttered.
Turpin grinned maliciously.
‘So you’ve never met anyone else who can see fairies?’ Ratty asked.
‘No,’ Tanya replied.
‘That must be difficult.’
She nodded. ‘I’ve always wished that there was someone I could talk to about
‘Is that him?’ Tanya asked, noticing a framed photo on a nearby shelf. It showed a slightly younger Ratty with a smiling, handsome man. Like Ratty, he had very blue, almost turquoise eyes and thick, black hair that reached his shoulders. Against his dark skin, his teeth were dazzling white. He wore a silver hoop in each ear, giving him the appearance of a gypsy or a pirate. He looked, Tanya decided, like the kind of person who would know about fairies and she wanted to meet him. Very much indeed.
‘Will he be back soon?’ she asked.
Ratty was clattering about in the kitchen, pouring something fizzy into two tall glasses. ‘I never know with Pa. He’s normally back before dark, but sometimes he stays out all night.’ He placed the two glasses on the table and motioned for Tanya to take a seat. She started to slide on to one of the benches, but an angry chittering stopped her.
Turpin glowered in the doorway, stamping her feet. ‘Not there, stupid girl!’ she cried.
‘Oh,’ said Ratty apologetically. ‘She likes to sit that side.’ He patted the other bench. ‘Best sit here.’
Tanya squeezed into the narrow seat, silently taking a sip of her drink. It tasted of elderflowers, and she gulped the rest of it quickly, thirsty after the long walk. Ratty made to sit next to her, but was interrupted by a further protest from Turpin, who pounded the side of the van with her fist.
‘Whoops. Sorry, Turps.’ He scrambled to the door. ‘I almost forgot.’ He reached above and removed a sprig of dried red berries and leaves from a hook above the entrance. There was one, Tanya saw, in each of the windows, and Ratty quickly moved around the van, collecting them all.
‘What are those?’ Tanya asked.
‘Rowan berries.’ Ratty tossed the bunches into the driver’s seat in the front of the van. ‘It’s another deterrent to fairies. We put them in all the entrances whenever we go out to make sure we don’t have any unwelcome guests while we’re not here. Unfortunately, they work on Turpin, too.’
Tanya didn’t find this unfortunate at all – quite the opposite, in fact – but of course she did not say so. ‘Does she live in here with you then?’ she asked.
‘Most of the time,’ said Ratty. ‘But when the weather’s fine like it is now she sometimes makes a nest outside in the trees.’
Once the offending berries were out of sight, Turpin stomped into the van, nose in the air. She hopped on to the seat opposite Tanya and proceeded to empty her sack of loot on to the table. Out came the newspaper, the meat pie and iced bun, money, plus a few bits of fluff from people’s pockets and bags. Ratty brushed the fluff aside and hungrily unwrapped the food.
‘It was for you,’ she realised. ‘Turpin stole all these things for you.’
She regretted saying this immediately when Ratty lowered his eyes, embarrassed.
‘Sometimes there’s not much to eat,’ he explained. ‘Not fresh food anyway. Pa isn’t much of a cook – most of what we eat is out of tins.’ He offered the meat pie to Tanya. ‘Want some?’
She shook her head. She wasn’t hungry, but, even if she had been, knowing Turpin had handled it would have been enough to put her off. Besides, as Ratty crammed the pie into his mouth, she realised just how hungry he was. He broke off a small piece for Turpin, who scoffed it noisily. The iced bun didn’t last much longer. Finally, Ratty wiped his mouth and took a long drink. When he’d finished, Turpin leaned head first into his glass, lapping like a dog. Tanya watched, unable to mask her disgust, yet Ratty didn’t seem to mind. When Turpin finally came up for air, she belched in Tanya’s direction.
‘Charming,’ Tanya muttered.
Turpin grinned maliciously.
‘So you’ve never met anyone else who can see fairies?’ Ratty asked.
‘No,’ Tanya replied.
‘That must be difficult.’
She nodded. ‘I’ve always wished that there was someone I could talk to about
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