Free Burning Secrets by Clare Chambers

he’d not ventured further than the end of the garden, using the light from the house as a guide. But now Daniel began to go further afield, armed with a powerful torch. He never met anyone on these walks, and the houses he passed were always in darkness. The islanders had fixed habits and one of these was going to bed early.
    The night before the 4th of October celebrations there was a full moon, which by some trick of the atmosphere seemed magnified to twice its normal size and pale orange in colour. It hung above the trees like an unshaded bulb, bathing the landscape in murky light all the way to the horizon. The nights were cold now and already smelled of autumn.
    Daniel was drawn, as always, in the direction of Stape. It was a long walk, even in daylight when the going was good, and he’d never made it all the way in the dark. Apart from the distant shushing of the sea and the crunch of their footsteps, all was quiet. Once they were up on to the straightish path across the moor he switched off the torch and let his eyes grow used to the moonlight. Chet had his nose to the ground following scent trails and after a minute or so Daniel could pick out the details in the landscape quite clearly. The moon had risen directly ahead of him, huge and glowing. A belt of wispy cloud had blown across its face and for a moment it looked as though Saturn itself had changed course and come bowling through space towards Earth – making Daniel’s heart gallop with a sort of excited dread – and then the cloud dispersed and it was just the cheesy old moon again.
    He hadn’t planned to walk all the way to Stape, but there seemed no good reason to stop so he kept going, and eventually they found themselves looking down on the village. He could see the boxy outline of the school; though it was long after midnight, somewhere deep within the building a light was burning. Daniel supposed it was a security guard on patrol, but then almost laughed aloud at the idea of ‘security’ in a place where nothing was ever locked, and nothing ever stolen. It would have to rank as Most Pointless Job in the World.
    He had a sudden image of Kenny with his life-saving certificate, keeping an all-night vigil beside the pool, just in case. However the light wasn’t coming from the pool house, but from somewhere in the main block. It was oddly reassuring that Mum was not the only person who worked through the night.
    Walking down through the village he took a detour past Ramsay’s house. Not for any reason, he told himself, just for somewhere to go. But he couldn’t help glancing up at her window as he passed to see if she was still up, and was both relieved and disappointed that she wasn’t. After all, how would he explain skulking under her window in the dead of night? Her curtains were closed and a row of pot plants stood on the sill – a supply of Leaf to see her through winter.
    He hurried away, determined to head back home. As they passed the school playing field Chet, who had been keeping close at Daniel’s heels for most of the journey, gave a few short barks and took off just as he had during the five-a-side football match. This time, instead of haring across the grass, he vanished around the side of the building towards the car park and tennis courts, still barking. Immediately the light in the building went off.
    That’s it, pal , fumed Daniel, striding after him. No more midnight walkies for you. Five minutes in the back garden, a quick pee up against the apple tree and that’s your lot .
    He caught up with Chet by the wheelie bins. One of them had been pushed over, spilling its contents, and the dog was growling at some unseen creature which had clearly been enjoying a good forage and was cornered behind the other bins. Daniel clipped Chet’s lead on, speaking to him in a low, calm voice, and shone the torch into the shadows. He gave a violent twitch of surprise and nearly dropped the