It was a dirt-bike. It was a real, working motorbike, and Sean's legs shot up into the chair as he watched it slowly fizzle into view. The smile vanished, to be replaced by a slackjawed look of pure and utter astonishment, only slightly tinged with excitement. The excitement grew when Sean realised exactly what had just happened, and what he just now had, and that he had it because he'd basically insulted a sorcerer. True, he couldn't tell anyone about the last part, but he'd know it himself, and that's what counted. It felt like an extra in a video game, a side quest you could do that handed you a powerful reward if you knew exactly what to say and to who. In this case, an insult to a sorcerer.

It was a real, working dirt-bike.

His mum, Sean remembered with a sinking heart, was never going to let him keep it.

His mum, speaking of the devil, chose that exact moment to appear in the kitchen doorway, and her cry of shock at the sight of the motorbike made Sean scramble to his feet and start searching for some kind of excuse or apology, as was his usual modus operandi in situations like this. "Mum, it's not - it's not what you - "

"Oh, I'm sorry." Paddy appeared behind his mother, wearing an impressively chagrined look. "I meant to tell you earlier. Sean was a big help to me last month with all the spring cleaning, and I thought I'd surprise him with a present."

Erin spun towards him. "A present?"

"I should have asked you about it first, I know. I'm sorry about that. I can always take it back if you - "

"No!" Sean interrupted without thinking. "I mean... I really, really like it, Mum. Can I please keep it? Please?"

"How," Erin asked faintly, "did you even manage to get the bike down here? Not to mention why?"

Paddy faltered at the question, and Sean noticed he looked towards Dexter. Like the sorcerer would be able to offer some plausible explanation other than magic. "Um."