A middle-aged woman appeared on her doorstep. ‘Are you looking for the young lad in the army coat?’

‘Yes, my brother. Have you seen him?’

‘He ran off up the street with a couple of other boys. You’ll probably find them round the back. There’s an old warehouse there that the kids like to play in.’

‘Thank you,’ Sarah replied, feeling some relief. She ran along the street and around to the back of the houses, and soon found the disused warehouse, just as the woman had described. She noticed the windows were smashed, and, from what she could see, half the roof was missing. She didn’t think it looked like a safe building for children to be playing in, and could feel her heart hammering hard in her chest.

Sarah pulled open a metal door that was hanging only by its upper hinges. The concrete floor was littered with dead leaves, and she was startled by a pigeon taking off from its roost. ‘Tommy,’ she called again, and listened as her voice echoed through the derelict building. ‘Tommy, I know you’re in here, so stop playing silly beggars.’

She heard some giggling from around a wall, and young voices saying, ‘Shush’. As she turned the corner, she found herself locking eyes with Tommy, who was obviously oblivious to the fear he’d just caused her.

‘You little bugger,’ she said through gritted teeth, then stomped towards him, grabbed his arm, and laid three hefty whacks on his backside.

The other boys ran off, leaving Tommy sobbing.

‘I was only playing hide and seek with my friends,’ he cried.

Sarah suddenly felt awful for hitting the child. She’d never laid a hand on him before, and memories of her mother snapped into her mind. ‘I know, I’m sorry for smacking you, but you scared the living daylights out of me. You mustn’t ever run off like that again, do you understand me?’

Tommy nodded his head and wiped his snotty nose on the cuff of his coat.

‘And who are those boys? You don’t even know them. They’re not your friends.’

‘They is Jerry and John and they said I could play with them.’

‘Well, next time, you ask me first,’ Sarah said in a softer voice.

Both calmer, Sarah led Tommy back to the street and they walked in silence to the post office. She’d seen a red telephone box outside, and was keen to ring the number for the room rental, hoping it was still available.

Once they found the telephone box, Tommy squeezed inside with Sarah. ‘I’ve never been in a telephone box before,’ he said, and breathed on one of the small glass windows. The window misted up and Sarah watched as he amused himself by drawing pictures with his fingers in the condensation.