Page 122 of The Silent Appeal

It’ll take a while, but sure.

Undated page from a decorative journal belonging to Isabel Beck:

TODAY

It’s the day before the Fairways Big Sleep Out. I’m so glad I took two days’ holiday to prepare and look forward to it without work getting in the way.

I’ll bring this journal to decorate at the crafting table. Denise says she’s got glue and leftover bits and pieces, as well as wool for crochet and knitting and beads for threading. I don’t think I’ll be any good at foosball and although I played board games with my nan, there won’t be anyone at Fairways who wants to play with me, only Nicky-Rose and she’s already said she’ll be helping Kevin and Sarah-Jane all night.

I’m sitting on my big chair with a cup of tea, looking at my backpack across the room. Just over twenty-four hours to go now. I’m hungry, but can’t have a big dinner, breakfast, or lunch tomorrow because I want to eat the sausage and mash, then the chocolate fountain at the sleep out. I want to be as slim as Nicky-Rose and I’ll never manage it if I eat normally between now and then.

My new sleeping bag is so puffy my backpack is bursting at the seams. It was reduced in Sports Direct because the drawstring is broken. Perhaps Denise will help mend it.

I can sleep anywhere. That’s because my nursing years were all shift work and you get used to it. Useful when I had to sleep in a noisy prison. But I really want to stay awake all night at the sleep out so I can report on everything for Nicky-Rose. She hasn’t actually asked me to stay awake, so it’ll be a nice surprise when I can let her know “the tea.” The trouble is if I’m too excited to sleep tonight, it’ll be harder staying awake tomorrow, boo!

Nicky-Rose and I have arranged a post-sleep-out debrief at Squires on Monday. I love that she’s Kevin’s assistant and I’m her secret assistant! I should fill in the bullet point section with something, so here are the things I’m looking forward to:

Sausage and mash

Chocolate fountain

People-watching

Line rehearsal with Nicky-Rose

Crafting

Singing songs with Fran

I know people-watching isn’t one of the activities listed, but I’ll definitely be doing that too.

Message exchange between Kev MacDonald and Nicky-Rose Dearing on April 25, 2025:

4:10 p.m. Kevin wrote:

143

4:11 p.m. Nicky-Rose wrote:

831

Message exchange between Sarah-Jane and Kevin MacDonald on April 25, 2025:

4:21 p.m. Sarah-Jane wrote:

Fifty.

4:21 p.m. Kevin wrote:

We won’t need fifty.

4:21 p.m. Sarah-Jane wrote:

They’re free.

4:22 p.m. Kevin wrote:

We’ll have a shedload left over.