Ronnie was out of breath from all of the running, and he crashed down into one of Tommy’s seats. He was always so amazed at how comfortable these seats were, but then Tommy seemed to be pretty skilled at making all sorts of things – the cabin itself, his boat, all the furniture and various other items dotted around inside.

The tea was hot and sweet in a great big earthen mug – exactly the way he liked it. They sat together and just enjoyed the drinks before saying anything. It was always like that, almost as if the silence was part of the conversation. Eventually the silence was broken when Tommy leaned over and asked Ronnie how school had been. He said it with a grin on his face because he knew how Ronnie would react.

Ronnie scowled and replied: “It was pretty awful like every other day – as well you know. Now that we have the teasing out of the way, how have things been with you?”.

Tommy just looked at him, smiling before replying. This was a game which never failed to amuse him. He remembered his own days at school and how he had always felt the same. Generations of children would complain about school for eternity it would seem. There was little chance of the teachers or government listening to them, and doing something to make it more interesting.

“Well, I did some good fishing yesterday. Shame you had to be in school”, he added, twisting the knife a little more. Ronnie ignored the last remark and asked him about the fishing. They had spent many times in Tommy’s boat throughout the Summer, mainly hooking cod, dabs, mackerel and various other assorted fish, eating what they caught afterwards.

After some discussion about the good fishing spots, the best bait and the varying techniques they had previously employed, Tommy finally got to the point: “I saw something interesting in the bay yesterday...”, he said, leaving the statement hanging and inviting comment from Ronnie.

Ronnie looked at him quizzically, wondering why he was in such a teasing mood today. Of course he was dying to know what the interesting thing in the bay was, but he wasn’t going to be drawn into the game-playing that Tommy seemed to want to play. His thoughts ran over what things could be interesting in the bay. Perhaps the seals had returned, or maybe a few sharks. The basking sharks were quite common in the summer because of the warmer water, but Summer had gone now.