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‘Oh, this place is gorgeous,’ she goes on, looking around at the lit-up barn adorned with greenery and ribbons, paper chains and bunting. It couldn’t look more beautiful, I think to myself. ‘Am I okay to look around and film?’ she asks, poising her phone.

‘Of course,’ I say, waving a hand towards the empty yard, ‘help yourself.’

Will has come out from the house and is standing beside me. ‘I can show you,’ he offers. ‘I’m Will. I live here at the moment. We’re having our last Christmas here. The biggest and best,’ he says with a wide grin.

‘Well, that sounds great,’ she says.

‘Then we’ll be moving. I’m waiting for my new family to adopt me.’

I catch my breath. ‘Will, you don’t have to explain . . .’

‘Is that so?’ Hana says and smiles. ‘Well, I happen to know how that feels. I had a new family, too.’

‘Did you?’ He looks interested. ‘Do you like them?’

‘Yes. You’ll probably find it feels weird at first,’ she says. ‘But I wouldn’t have it any other way now.’

‘Do you see your first family?’

She shakes her head. ‘I did make contact once. Did it all the wrong way. Contacted them through Facebook.’ She looks wryly at me, shaking her head. ‘We met up. It was quite fun at first, like meeting up with cousins you didn’t know you had. I just wanted to see someone else who looked like me. Put my mum and dad right through it. But they were great, and they supported me. I soon realized I didn’t have anything in common with the other lot; my mum and dad were my mum and dad. That was home, where my roots were. Still is. That’s where I’ll be heading for Christmas. Wouldn’t be Christmas without my mum’s roast turkey and Christmas pud. Although she always forgets something, like the parsnips or the sprouts. Every year!’ She laughs.

I don’t say anything; I’m holding my breath. Neither does Lara, who’s standing with us, listening. Luke, too. We’re looking at Will.

‘Cool,’ he says. Then, ‘Come on, I’ll show you around.’ And the conversation is clearly over.

‘I’ll come too,’ says Lara, nodding at me and smiling at Will. ‘You have to see the light trail,’ she points, ‘leading through to where people can pick their own trees.’

‘And we have ready-cut ones, too. All varieties. Straight from the forest,’ says Luke.

I couldn’t feel more grateful to Lara, Luke and this lovely young woman, Hana, talking so encouragingly to Will. We may not have the huge crowds that Christmas Tree World has, but we can still be here for those who want to come.

‘I’d love to see!’ Hana says.

And at that very moment, all the lights go out and we’re standing in darkness.

Chapter 32

‘Oh, maybe not . . .’ I throw my hands into the air and look up towards the sky. Stars are popping out one by one, like sparkling gems on a velvet scarf.

‘Someone is making all of this really hard for us!’ I say, only half joking. I can feel myself hovering on the edge of tears and a full-on meltdown. I’m determined to keep it in check for Will’s sake, but why can’t anything go right?!

Then I see lights in front of me: a torch directed at our feet, and a lantern with a candle lit inside it and raised up high.

‘We don’t need lights; come on,’ says Horse’s deep voice, the lantern lighting up his face now, throwing out an orange glow.

He’s right – we don’t.

I hurry back into the barn and grab the lanterns we’ve made from jam jars with tea lights in them, ready to hang from the hooks Horse has put up over the old hut in the forest.

‘Here, Luke, I’ve got some matches too,’ I say, handing them to him.

He lights one of the lanterns, then passes it to Hana. There’s another for Will, me and then Lara.

The temperature’s dropping as the darkness deepens, and more stars seem to appear every time I look up.

‘Ready?’ I say to Will, who looks around for Tegan and Dinky and then nods.

‘Lead the way, Will. You know the trail as well as anyone,’ says Horse.