She knew it was him before she peeked from beneath her arm. No one else had quite such squeaky trainers on the island.

"Daddy," Coraline said, dropping her arm down onto the bed. Coraline sniffed, trying not to cry as she looked at him. She didn't want him to be mad and she didn't want to shake her head because it hurt, it hurt so much but she did very, very gently. "No. I hurt all over and I hurt my head and there- there was a monster."