Page 9 of Sunrise By the Sea

But she was rubbing the bird’s claw as she said it. The bird made a gentle eeping noise.

‘Come on. Away with you. Sorry, what were you after . . . ?’

Finally Marisa found her voice.

‘Um, I’m here for the—’

The door banged and in hurtled two small children who, as was evident by the girl’s red hair and the way they ran to her, were clearly the woman’s children.

‘You let Neil go ahead!’ said Polly.

‘We spoke to him about it and he promised not to come in here,’ said Daisy solemnly. ‘He lied.’

‘NEIL!’ shouted Avery. ‘COME HERE!’

Neil did absolutely nothing of the kind and eyed them with beady disdain.

Behind them, an extremely large man entered the shop. He took up most of the remaining space in the small bakery, and stared straight ahead, smiling.

‘You are pirate?’ he asked. He had a thick accent, a mop of dark hair and a full beard.

Polly looked up at him, then realised he was referring to the bird on her shoulder.

‘No, I’m just the baker,’ she said pleasantly. ‘Neil. Shoo.’

She opened the door and the small bird flew out. A thought occurred to her.

‘Are you Environmental Health?’ she asked the man nervously.

Daisy and Avery, meanwhile, were regarding the very large, shaggy stranger cheerfully.

‘This is Mr Bat-BAY-ar!’ said Daisy, pronouncing carefully. ‘He’s our music teacher!’

‘Also, I think perhaps he is a bear,’ whispered Avery. It was not a very quiet whisper.

‘Hello, Miss Miller, hello, Master Miller,’ said the man gravely, shaking each of their hands. ‘I am here for key?’

‘Of course, you’re Reuben’s new tenant!’ said Polly. ‘He told me you were coming. You teach at the school?’

‘I like having a bear as a teacher,’ said Avery, again in a loud whisper.

‘He’s NOT A BEAR,’ whispered back Daisy, equally loudly. ‘That’s RACIST.’

Avery frowned. ‘But we likes bears.’

Mr Batbayar was examining the baking with some attention. There were pasties, of course, scones, pies, beautiful sourdough loaves and gorgeously tempting cakes in rows, including strawberry tarts. He had narrow brown eyes, and they gleamed.

‘I’m so sorry,’ said Polly.

She felt in her apron pocket and found a jangling set of keys.

‘Is Avery being racist, Mummy?’ Daisy wanted to know.

Polly grimaced and hissed, ‘No. Just a bit rude.’

‘BUT! WE! LIKES! BEARS!’

Polly handed over the key, and a file full of instructions. ‘Okay, it’s all the way up to the top of the hill, past the school.’

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