Anna carried the cake and present in a bag. Charlie skipped ahead of her and called back, ‘Will we do the cake straightaway?’ ‘No. We’ll do it after a swim.’ They’d agreed that today must be Charlie’s sixth birthday, as the girl had no idea when her birthday was, and had told Anna she’d never had a birthday party or cake. Anna had sat up late sewing more clothes for the wooden dolls: a tutu made of scraps of tulle that Beatie gave her, and a white dress that Anna was afraid looked a little too much like a wedding gown. They walked through the old forest, which still dripped with rain. The creek had dropped back between the banks, leaving tangled sticks and grass at the high-water mark and caught on the bridge. ‘Happy birthday, Charlie!’ Macky shouted as he approached through the trees, Zeb and Claudy trailing behind him. When he reached Charlie, he handed her a red paper package tied with string. Charlie grinned. ‘Can I open it now?’ He nodded. She tore the package open.
