42 Ebrington Road

The scraping of steel on stone disturbed Leo from his sleep. His warm breath blurring the window as he peered down onto next door’s yard. Mr Burgess was digging at the patio again, just in shorts and a vest though it was nearly midnight.

Leo’s mum often complained that Mr Burgess was obsessed with his patio, yet Leo didn’t see the harm.

As he watched Mr Burgess replace a slab over freshly dug earth Leo tapped on the glass. The noise seemed to startle his neighbour, spinning around. Yet when he saw Leo he gave a wave.

Leo waved back.