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Tommy was astonished to see hteen years earlier Then there was the fact that I only looked a handful of years older It was almost too much for hi weakly, not taking anything in But eventually his head cleared and he focused on what I was saying

I spun him a far-fetched but just about believable tale I felt bad, lying to er than fiction - it was simpler and safer this way I said I had a rare disease which preventednorave me five or six years to live My parents were devastated by the news, but since we could do nothing to prevent it, we told no one and tried to lead a nor as we could

Then the Cirque Du Freak came to town

"I ran into an extraordinary physician," I lied "He was travelling with the Cirque,a study of the freaks He said he could help me, but I’d have to leave home and travel with the Cirque - I’d need constantI talked it over with my parents and we decided to fakesuspicions"

"But for heaven’s sake, why?" Tommy exploded "Your parents could have left with you Why put everyone through so hed "The Cirque Du Freak is an illegal travelling show My parents would have had to give up everything and gone undercover to be with me It wouldn’t have been fair on them, and it would have been dreadfully unfair on Annie"

"But there must have been some other way," Tommy protested

"Maybe," I said "But we hadn’t much time to think it over The Cirque Du Freak was only in town for a few days We discussed the proposal put forward by the physician and accepted it I think the fact that I’ainst all medical odds, justifies that decision"

Torown up to be a very largeprematurely - he’d be bald in a few more years But despite his physical presence, his eyes were soft He was a gentlea child fake his death and be buried alive was repulsive to him

"What’s done is done," I said "Maybe my parents should have searched for another way But they had my best interests at heart Hope was offered and they seized it, regardlessof the terrible price"

"Did Annie know?" Touessed To my parents directly, to check out one to Annie I had to sidetrack him

"Not even afterwards?" Tommy asked

"I talked aboutit with Mum and Dad - we keep in touch and ht Annie had her own problereed "I was still living here I didn’t know her very well, but I heard all about it"

"That must have been just before your football career took off," I said, leading him away from talk aboutmatches he’d been involved in, what he planned to do when he retired He wasn’t married but he had two kids from a previous relationship, when he’d lived abroad

"I only get to see the the summer," he said sadly "I hope to move over there when I quit football, to be closer to theuests had departed by this stage Harkat had seen if I wanted hinalled back that I was OK and he’d left with the others A few people still sat and talked softly in the tent, but nobody was near Tommy and me

Talk turned to the past and our old friends Tommy told me Alan Morris had become a scientist "Quite a fa into cloning A controversial area, but he’s convinced it’s the way forward"

"As long as he doesn’t clone hihed too Alan had been a close friend of ours, but he could be a bit of a pain at times

"I’ve no idea what Steve’s up to," Tohter died on my lips "He left home at sixteen Ran off without a word to anyone I’ve spoken to him on the phone a few times, but I’ve only seen hio He returned home for a few months when his mother died"

"I didn’t know she was dead," I said "I’m sorry I liked Steve’s Mum"

"He sold off the house and all her effects He shared an apartment with Alan for a while That was before?" Tolanced at me oddly "Haveyou seen Steve since you left?"

"No," I lied