Tooka and Poi love collecting things. Smooth pebbles from the riverside, twirly and tickly fern leaves, bright red buttons that have fallen from a school uniform — Tooka and Poi pick them all up. Every day, they meet after school, near the bendy coconut tree by the river, and wait for their best friend.

At five o’ clock on the dot, Inji arrives, huffing and puffing like an old school bus. Inji is a friendly dog with eyes the colour of chocolate and a tail that never stops wagging.