Gary and Liz let the curtain fall back into place over the window. They stared at each other in silence. No words were needed. They both knew that their new neighbor was going to be nothing but trouble.

From the moment the house next door had been put up for sale and their friends had moved away, Liz had predicted this would happen. She had prayed for a decent young couple like themselves to buy the house. A family with a young child, who would be a playmate for their own little Louise, would have been ideal. But, she had held an unshakeable belief that something would happen to ruin their happiness.

Gary had tried to reason with her, telling her that whoever bought the house would be as nice as their old neighbours. But Liz just would not listen. She was positive their luck had run out and they would get someone dreadful and, by the look of him, she was right.

You could tell just by the man's appearance. He was as wide as he was tall, with heavily muscled arms. He had no neck and a shaven head. He had ordered the removal men around in a loud commanding voice.

Liz was sure the man was a drug dealer.

Gary disagreed, and said he looked more like a wrestler. Like someone from the World Wrestling Federation show.'

'Whoever he is, he looks like a thug,' said Liz,  'and I don't like him one bit.'

They named their new neighbor 'The Ogre' and they agreed the best thing to do was to avoid him. They would have nothing to do with him at all, and certainly not let him go anywhere near their precious Louise.

Over the next few days, it was just as they expected. The Ogre kept very odd hours. He was always gone before Gary left for work in the morning. He came home late at night. Once when Liz was up attending to Louise, she heard him go out at three in the morning. It was all very suspicious.

Liz began to get paranoid about their new neighbor. One day she would suspect he was a burglar, the next day a gangster. She even asked Gary if any mafia operated in their town.

When Gary suggested he should go next door and see what he could find out, Liz almost had hysterics. She made Gary promise to keep well away from The Ogre, and refused to discuss the matter further.

#

The second Sunday after the man had moved in was the hottest day of the summer. In the evening, Liz decided to take a plastic baby bath outside and bathe little Louise in the garden.

Louise had just reached the age when she could sit up on her own. She splashed and gurgled happily in the warm water. Gary went to get his camera to record the happy event. When the mobile phone they had brought outside rang, Liz only turned her back for a few seconds to answer it. But it was a few seconds too long. When she turned around, Louise was under the water.

For what seemed like an eternity Liz stood there, paralysed. She was unable to move or make a sound as her baby drowned. Then she dropped the phone and screamed for Gary.

The four steps back to Louise seemed like four miles. By the time she pulled Louise out of the bath, the baby had stopped breathing. Liz had no idea what to do. She pressed the tiny body to her breast as if to crush the life back into it. She was still screaming when Gary reached her.

'Get an ambulance!' was all she could say in answer to his frantic questions.

Gary looked around for the mobile phone and saw it lying on the ground a few yards away. He snatched it up and stabbed at the buttons. But the phone was useless, broken when Liz dropped it.

Gary shook the phone desperately. 'The damn thing won't work. I'll have to go next door.'

'Just hurry!' Liz yelled.

Gary disappeared and moments later Liz heard the sound of something bursting through the hedge that separated the gardens.

To her horror, The Ogre appeared, running straight at her. She opened her mouth to scream again, but before she could do so, he snatched Louise from her grasp. Liz held out her arms helplessly as The Ogre laid the limp body on the grass. Then he covered Louise's tiny mouth with his own.

The Ogre puffed small quick breaths into the baby's lungs. Then he tapped her chest sharply several times. He repeated the process over and over while Liz stood rooted to the spot, her knuckles pressed into her mouth.

The Ogre didn't stop, or even look up when Gary joined them and told her the ambulance was on its way. He just kept on working over the tiny lifeless form. Liz and Gary held tightly to each other and watched tearfully as their baby's colour gradually changed from grey to pink.

By the time the ambulance arrived, Louise was breathing and had coughed up a large amount of water. She had also produced some extremely loud cries of indignation. The paramedics decided she should be taken to the hospital for a check-up. But both they and The Ogre assured Liz that Louise would be fine.

As they climbed into the ambulance, The Ogre handed Gary a card with his phone number. He said he would come and collect them from the hospital when they were ready to come home.

On the way to the hospital, one of the paramedics tried to hold an oxygen mask to Louise's face. She fought him energetically and he remarked that there was obviously nothing wrong with her, thanks to Doctor Rosenberg.

'Who?' Liz and Gary said at the same time.

'Doctor Rosenberg ... the new doctor on the children's ward ... the fellow who did CPR on this young lady. You are lucky he was around. Not many people could resuscitate a child this small without damaging their lungs.'

Gary took the card out of his pocket. Sure enough, it read 'Dr. T Rosenberg – Paediatrician', followed by a list of qualifications.

He silently handed it to Liz as the paramedic continued.

'How did he come to be with you? Is he a friend of yours?'

'Yes, he is,' said Liz. 'He's our new neighbour ... and our very good friend.'