Wheeling Gull Isle All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.

Strand grinned in amusement at Padma’s whining.

‘Just five more minutes?’ her friend begged.

“Oh, no,” she said. “I’m up and walkin’ and I can’t even use one shoulder properly! How is the disabled girl more energetic than you?” If they weren’t friends, she never would have called herself disabled like that, but Padma was different and Strand felt she could let her guard down around her. “I know!” she said. “We could go splash around in the freezing ocean water. That’ll wake you up!”

She limped over to the water, not turning to see if Padma was following and stood in the wet sand, waiting for the next wave to come and wash over her paws. She was confident and tried to stand upright and look majestic as she stared out across the water. But the second the wave washed over her paws and ankles, she yelped at the cold of it and hopped away, laughing.