Ziggy could feel Aunt Jen’s words all around them, as though they were the flames of the fire gently warming them. They thought about Mum and Dad, how they’d behaved in the last few days, and realised that Aunt Jen was right. There was something big about their family that absolutely had not changed. Ziggy knew, with all their heart, how loved they were by Mum and Dad both. The thought made them feel suddenly strong, stronger than Ziggy had realised they were.

  Ziggy turned to the next page of the album and was surprised to see one of the three of them: Ziggy, Mum and Dad, when Ziggy was just a tiny baby. They were bundled together on a hospital bed, and Ziggy couldn’t see which arms belonged to Mum or Dad, they were all just one pile – with Ziggy in the middle of them all.

  Chapter 10

  ‘OK, got everything you need?’ Aunt Jen asked Ziggy, as she tucked them up on the makeshift bed on the floor.

  Ziggy nodded, although looking at the teetering tower of Lego just a short distance from their head, they wondered whether it would fall on them in the night.

  ‘You know you could ask for just about anything,’ Kip interrupted. Ziggy’s cousin Kip was a year older than Ziggy and was quite forthright about pretty much everything. ‘Because your parents are splitting up, you could ask for anything you like.’

  ‘Kip,’ Aunt Jen said, warningly. ‘Well, it’s true.’

  ‘Time to sleep,’ Aunt Jen said. ‘I’ll come and check on you guys soon – no talking into the middle of the night, please.’

  She gave them both another kiss on their heads and left the room, leaving the door open a crack.

  Ziggy didn’t have to ask for a nightlight that night, as they knew Kip already had one. In the past, when they’d stayed over there, the light from it had kept them awake, but now Ziggy turned towards the soft glow of the large white orb.

  ‘Kip?’ Ziggy said quietly into the half-light.

  ‘Humph?’ Kip replied. ‘Are you awake?’

  ‘Huh?’ Kip said back. He’d spent the day with two of his friends and, though he’d never admit it, Ziggy could tell that he was tired and already sounded sleepy.

  ‘Kip?’ Ziggy hissed again, but this time they were answered by a light snore.

  Ziggy turned towards Kip to see him passed out, his arm dangling from under the duvet.

  They looked again at Kip’s nightlight. Although Ziggy was sure that here, with Kip, they wouldn’t go back to the Night Forest, sleep still wouldn’t come to them. They looked over all the things in Kip’s room, the piles of experiments, the half-made projects and the stacks of books. There was a different kind of smell in Kip’s room; Ziggy was trying to work out what it was when they finally drifted off to sleep.

  The next thing they knew, the sound of the owl’s hoot woke Ziggy up.

  Ziggy looked up with a jolt, to see the branches of the tree making a dark crisscross pattern against the sky like a cobweb.

  ‘No, not again,’ they said to themself before shuddering deeply, feeling the cold of the ground seep through the thin roll mat and the material of their sleeping bag.

  They were back in the Night Forest but this time they were on the ground, with all the rustles of the woods around them, without even the protection of being in a bed.

  Quickly, without thinking, Ziggy stood up and looked for a place where they would be safe. In every direction, the Night Forest loomed dark and dense around Ziggy.

  Ziggy took a step on the leaf-covered ground and shivered. It was so cold and wet against their bare feet, and they thought back to the first time they touched it. Then the surprise was so great that they had quickly whipped their feet back into bed. But now, it surprised Ziggy how quickly they got used to walking on the squelchy mud. It was still cold, but it didn’t feel as shocking as that first time.

  Ziggy wandered a little away from the sleeping bag, searching for anything: somewhere they could sit, or a path perhaps. Maybe they could walk their way out of the Night Forest?

  But then they heard that awful shrieking cry, and they froze. The feeling of fear trickled down their spine as though it were cold water.

  Ziggy looked left and right, forwards and backwards, trying to find the creature that was making that terrible noise. Their mind filled with monsters from books they’d read when they were younger. Monsters had never scared them back then, but now in the trees, with the thought that they were alone here, they felt more real to Ziggy than ever. Ziggy ran back towards their sleeping bag, darting through the trees with a jagged, desperate speed that only comes from real fear.

  But then, another worry hit Ziggy; they couldn’t see their sleeping bag anymore. Though they were certain they’d gone in the right direction, they could not find it anywhere.

  ‘Please, please,’ Ziggy found themself saying. ‘Please let me get out of here.’

  They continued to search for a glimpse of the orange sleeping bag through the branches soon they were out of breath. They admitted defeat and stopped still, panting, quite lost amongst the trees.

  Ziggy could hear how quickly they were breathing and then another sound pierced through the air: that shrieking bark again. The creature sounded like it was closer. Ziggy’s breath came even more quickly then and, in that moment, the trees seemed to spin around Ziggy, coming closer and closer to them.

  Then, right in front of Ziggy, a leaf fell from a branch above them and skittered down to the ground. Ziggy thought of the photo falling from Aunt Jen’s album and their mind filled with the memory of that moment. Ziggy took a deep breath, slowing down their breathing, as they remembered the last photo they’d looked at: of their little family when they’d first begun. And suddenly Ziggy realised that, though there was no one with them right there in the Night Forest, they were far from alone.

  Wherever they were, they carried Mum and Dad and Louise and Penelope and Bryony and Aunt Jen and Kip and everyone in their life who loved them, within them. And with that thought filling them up with warmth and bravery, Ziggy realised they could walk on.

  They searched again for their sleeping bag, and this time, they found it hidden behind the thicker trunk of the large tree that always loomed over them. But tonight, its branches spread out towards them invitingly. Ziggy looked back at their sleeping bag that lay rumpled on the ground and then considered the tree again.

  Ziggy reached out towards one of the branches and pulled themself up, so they were off the ground. The wood of the branch felt steady under their feet, and they easily found another foothold to climb up further still.

  Before they knew it, they had climbed higher than they’d imagined they could. Ziggy looked down to see the orange rectangle of their sleeping bag at the base of the tree; it looked far away to them now.

  There was a branch ahead of them that was thicker and had another interlocking branch that curved just above it, and so Ziggy reached themself up to sit on the larger one and lean against the other.

  It was comfortable up there. For the first time, Ziggy realised with a lurch, they didn’t feel scared being in the Night Forest. They were not sure what was different about it, perhaps it was just that they were higher up being in the tree, and it felt safer. Or the strength they’d felt that evening from thinking about their family was still within them. Ziggy felt calmer and, not being hunched in their bed, under the covers, for the first time they were able to look at what was around them.

  The tree they were perched in, that had seemed so scary that first night, now felt familiar to Ziggy, like an old friend. Through the trees, there was soaring movement and Ziggy turned quickly to make sense of what it was. The hoot came long and low as before, and Ziggy could see that it was the owl they’d heard every night there. It was strong and graceful and moved with a speed that made Ziggy feel in awe of its power.

  It disappeared amongst the branches and Ziggy leant forwards to see if they could catch another glimpse of it, but it was quite hidden amongst the shadows.

  Then Ziggy heard a familiar scuffle from below; it was the sound that had so terrified them the night before. They looked down to the forest floor and saw a flash of movement streak across the orange of their sleeping bag.

  The tiny creature seemed to sense that Ziggy was there, and was suddenly frozen and still as if they knew they were being watched.

  It was a mouse, a tiny mouse perching frozen upon Ziggy’s sleeping bag. Such a small thing to have made such a big noise, thought Ziggy.

  As Ziggy watched it and saw it quivering out in the open, they instantly recognised the feeling that was so clearly flooding through it: fear. It was afraid. It couldn’t move because it was so scared, just like Ziggy had felt every night they had been here before.

  Ziggy made sure they kept as still as possible and, when a few moments had passed, the mouse suddenly scampered off and, like the owl, disappeared into the darkness of the Night Forest. Ziggy could still hear it moving around, the little scuffles and slight crunching of the leaves, but now they knew what it was those sounds weren’t so scary anymore.

  Ziggy couldn’t tell how long they spent there, listening for the owl and the mouse and straining to catch another glimpse of them both. Now they were listening carefully, rather than shaking with fear, Ziggy could sense that there were other creatures out in the forest too, but though they looked and looked, they didn’t catch sight of anything else.

  But then, there was a sudden darting movement through the trees and Ziggy thought they spotted a red-brown streak through the undergrowth. The crying, barking call, which had struck such fear into Ziggy before, filled the air. From their vantage point, Ziggy saw that the sound was coming from a fox, and there looked to be more than one.

  Ziggy blinked their eyes closed for just a moment, but when they opened them again, they saw Kip’s colourful tower of Lego leaning precariously next to them. They were back in Kip’s bedroom, out of the forest. Just like the nights before, somehow in the blink of an eye, they were back. Only this time, there was one big difference: Ziggy hadn’t wanted to leave.

  ‘Morning Zig,’ said Kip. ‘Sleep well?’

  ‘Kind of,’ said Ziggy. ‘Kind of.’

  ‘Are you going to stay here again tonight? You know you’ve got everyone really worried about you – with changing where you want to sleep every night?’

  ‘You know about that?’

  ‘I overheard my mum on the phone to your mum.’

  ‘I’m going to go home tonight,’ Ziggy said. ‘I think I’m going to be OK.’

  Chapter 11

  That night, back in their bedroom, Ziggy settled down back into their own bed.

  They could spot little changes Mum had made to their room. There was a little pile of new library books placed on their bedside table, and their duvet cover had been changed for Ziggy’s favourite one, with patterns of star constellations emblazoned upon it.

  A lamp from the sitting room was also sitting on Ziggy’s bedside table, and it was shining brightly.

  ‘Do you want to read some of your book?’ Mum said.

  Ziggy shook their head. ‘I’m OK, I think I’ll go straight to sleep, I’m pretty tired.’

  Mum looked a bit concerned. ‘Did you not sleep very well with Kip? Did he keep you up?’

  ‘No, he conked out straightaway, you know how he does sometimes.’

  ‘Well, it’s really good to have you back here. Is there anything else I can get you?’

  ‘No, I’m OK, Mum. I just want to go to sleep.’

  ‘Alright,’ Mum said and, like on the night when Ziggy had first complained of the dark, she only pulled the door closed a little so the landing light still streamed through into Ziggy’s room.

  Ziggy blinked once, then twice. They were aware of a kind of excitement they felt about falling asleep that night. And, with the thought that they were looking forward to going to bed this evening, they fell deeply asleep.

  When Ziggy next opened their eyes, they were back in the Night Forest. Quickly, they left their bed and climbed the tree once again to the branch they’d perched on before. Ziggy leaned forward to spot the owl and the mouse as they’d done before but tonight they were also seeking the foxes they’d glimpsed last night.

  Suddenly there was a loud rustle and crack from the bushes at the base of the tree. Ziggy glanced down sharply and saw the bush shiver and move. What was there?

  Ziggy looked again and climbed down to a lower branch to see if they could work out what it was.

  From the bush, two foxes emerged from the cloud of leaves and following them, a small, thinnish fox cub rolled out behind them.

  The smaller of the adult foxes barked at the cub – that eerie, almost human shriek had definitely been made by the foxes.

  Ziggy watched them, mesmerised. They were playing what looked like some kind of chasing game. Sometimes, the mum and dad foxes darted up to the cub to chase them. The cub ran back and forth with such joy, rolling on the ground each time it was ‘caught’. Ziggy laughed out loud to see it springing about.

  Ziggy watched the foxes all night but then, as with the night before, there was a moment when Ziggy was in the Night Forest, then another when they were not.

  But, in their last moments in the Night Forest, Ziggy saw the fox family scamper off. Before Ziggy closed their eyes, they watched the fox parents separate and go in different directions.

  The cub trotted after the smaller adult and the larger one disappeared behind another bush.

  ‘Stay together,’ Ziggy heard themself say – but the foxes all disappeared, the cub with one of their parents going one way, whilst the other parent went in a completely different direction.

  Chapter 12

  The next morning, Ziggy woke up with the wish that they were able to return to the Night Forest straightaway.

  But, though they closed their eyes again, the sunlight streamed through their curtains and sleep would not come back. Ziggy could hear Mum bustling around in the kitchen, and in a few moments came the familiar call of, ‘Ziggy! Breakfast!’

  Usually, at this point, Dad might come in and say something silly and playful like ‘permission to enter the Ziggy-sphere’. It wasn’t that it was actually funny, but it still always made Ziggy smile. Of course, today that would not happen as Dad was in his new home, in the strange flat a little walk away.

  Ziggy inspected how that felt and realised that they had a feeling of it actually being OK. It wasn’t the stomach-bursting upset they’d felt before.

  In the next few moments though, Mum knocked on their door and said, ‘Surprise, love, Dad’s coming round to have breakfast with us.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes, he’s on his way. So if you get yourself dressed, I’ll get breakfast on the table.’

  When Ziggy made their way downstairs, Dad was already there, his elbows leaning across the table. Ziggy noticed that he’d made some origami flowers and added them to the wilting daffodil heads in the jam jar on the table.

  ‘Zigster!’ he exclaimed when he saw Ziggy.

  There was a large package sitting in front of them.

  ‘What’s all this?’ Ziggy asked.

  ‘It’s for you, honey,’ Mum said and she pushed the parcel towards Ziggy.

  ‘It’s why I came round,’ Dad explained. ‘They just arrived and we wanted to give them to you straightaway.’

  Ziggy tore open the brown paper and found two identical boxes, both for nightlights that were exactly like Kip’s: a funny white orb that gave out a soft glowing light when you tapped it.

  ‘One for you here and one for my place,’ Dad said.

  ‘Oh,’ Ziggy said, suddenly realising something important they needed to share. ‘Actually, I don’t think I’m scared of the dark anymore.’

  ‘You’re not?’ Dad said in surprise.

  ‘No, I like the dark,’ Ziggy said. ‘I always have and I still do. It was just a bit different, the last few days. I don’t think I need these now.’

  ‘Well, we can return them, if you’re sure,’ Mum said but she looked a little troubled.

  ‘But there is something I think I need,’ said Ziggy.

  ‘What’s that?’ Dad said. ‘It’s just that– I know things have changed and the shape of our family is different,’ Ziggy said, piecing together the same phrase that Aunt Jen had used. ‘But can we still sometimes spend time together, just the three of us?’

  As they said the words, the fox family they’d seen in the forest the night before leapt through their mind. They’d gone in different directions to each other, which had upset Ziggy at the time. But now Ziggy realised the important thing, the part that had stayed with them, was that the foxes had played together before they’d separated.

  ‘Well, of course, of course,’ Mum said immediately and looked towards Dad who was nodding furiously.

  ‘That’s a great idea, Zig, I know I’d love that too.’

  ‘How do you want to do it?’ Mum said.

  ‘Well, on Saturday, could we do something together then?’

  ‘Sure – what would you like to do?’ Dad asked.

  ‘I have an idea,’ Ziggy said.

  ***

  The next Saturday, Ziggy, Mum and Dad walked out into a tangle of trees in the woods, a short drive from their homes.

  They tramped through mud, and they waded through puddles so big they were sure their wellies might get pulled off into the sticky mud.

  There was no one else around but the three of them.

  ‘Let’s go this way,’ Mum said, pointing to a narrow path that led them to a higher bit of ground.

  The path was steep and slippery from a rainfall that morning and, at one point, Dad lost his balance. Mum and Ziggy put out their arms to catch him.

 

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