Yet again, his new home wasn’t as advertised: the “light coastal breeze” setting was more like prone to gale-force storms, his neighbours noisier than ideal for his hermit lifestyle. Meanwhile, the outside was badly weatherworn, the inside tide-marked and cramped even for a crab. It was time to move on!

Sarah Leavesley is a fiction writer, poet, journalist and photographer, who loves exploring shadows and light. See more at sarah-james.so.uk.