By lunchtime, everybody knew why the kite battle couldn’t begin.

Sophie had caught the wind.

She showed them the bottle.

Some of the smaller children peered through the glass. One shook it gently and put an ear to its neck.

“What does it sound like?”

“It whispers,” said the child.

“That’s because it’s inside,” Sophie explained.

A girl with a yellow kite asked Sophie to let it out.

“No,” said Sophie. “I caught the wind fair and square, and it needs to learn its lesson.”

The girl folded her arms.

Eventually, everybody went home.

Sophie smiled to herself about her forecast trick and returned the bottle to the highest shelf in her dad’s boat shed, exactly where it belonged.