When Moni returned to the cottage, she found Adam sitting on the doorstep, waiting for her. The sight of him from afar made the last bit of the walk easier. She enjoyed moving closer to him, seeing him with greater clarity bit by bit. First, he had been a speck to be guessed at and then she could see what he was wearing, that he had his yellow ball in his hands; she could even see the expression on his face and meet his eyes with a smile of greeting. It was a good thing she had turned back and not continued with the others. She paused to catch her breath before walking the last few feet towards him. This would be their last time together. A goodbye gift would have been nice, but there were no shops in this place. Even if there were shops, she would have been lost and not sure what to get him. She would have just taken him with her and bought the first thing he pointed out. How sad that he didn’t speak and that his parents were negligent. She must remember to take a selfie with him. It would be her holiday souvenir.

‘Are you hungry, Adam?’ She unlocked the door of the cottage and led him into the kitchen. ‘Salma, Iman and I have to eat everything in the fridge before we leave the day after tomorrow otherwise it’s a bother packing it all again.’ There wasn’t too much food left, but there was a mismatch. Too much milk, for example. Rice with nothing to eat it with. Cheese but no bread. The eggs needed to be finished. She warmed up some soup and they each put a spoonful of rice in their bowl, but still there was a lot left over.

Moni suddenly felt warm and sleepy. She did not want to say goodbye to Adam, but she wished she could have a nap. Just a short nap before the others returned.

Adam was pointing to the oven. He pulled open one of the drawers and took out the cookie cutter. She must bake for him if this was what he wanted. They had baked before and he had enjoyed it. He could take the cookies away with him and that would be her goodbye gift. Moni made herself a cup of coffee to recharge her energy.