I sat in bed, huddled in my blanket, with Hoppy snuggled next to me. I thought of Rosa, and what it must be like to be travelling people in such weather. Then I remembered her sick mother. I wished I could help them. What would they want? That was easy. They’d want to get on with their journey. What was stopping them? Rosa’s mother being ill. I jumped up and struggled into my clothes. Sick people need good food and warmth, Mother always says. I decided to take Rosa’s mother some milk. I bet they never had milk. And cheese. I guessed they lived on berries and scraggy wild rabbits. I fetched a jug of milk and wrapped a hunk of hard cheese in an old cloth, then set off for the woods with Hoppy. I had no idea where they were camped, so we went to the place where I’d last seen Gilbert. I called his name softly. Nothing.
