What might be lurking in the dark?

Dusk is a good time to walk. Landscapes soften, sounds are muted, shadows lengthen then fade; the world settles. In summer months, with the sun setting late, there can be a refreshing coolness in those last hours of daylight; the mania of high season tourism becalmed as the heat of the afternoon fades away. Two summers ago, on a fine evening, I announced I was going for a stroll. The day had been spent on the beach at Putsborough Sands in north Devon: sandcastles, a picnic, cricket, a bit of swimming – all very traditional and safe.

We had returned to our nearby rented farmhouse for dinner, early enough to put our two-year-old son to bed at a reasonable hour. With my parents, brother and sister-in-law there too, it was a regular clan gathering.