“ ‘What about the others?’

“ ‘I don’t know,’ he answered. He sighed like a big man with a big burden. ‘My mother, she doesn’t really want us,’ he said. ‘She wasn’t so bad when Brittany and I were little. But now that there’s all the others, she hits us a lot. I have to get between her and Brittany and sometimes I can’t do it. I don’t let her hit the little ones at all. I just take the belt right out of her hand.’

“I was revolted, but I had no solution. I had all my life heard that there are real problems with the welfare system and with the foster care system, and I didn’t know what to do.

“ ‘I understand,’ I responded. ‘You can’t leave them behind.’

“ ‘That’s right,’ he said. ‘I’m going to a better school now than Brittany but she’s getting a good education. I can tell you that much. She does her homework and she’s smart. I don’t know the answer.’

“ ‘Well, listen to me,’ I said. ‘I’m not going to forget about you. I’ll come back with more money. Maybe I can make everything better for your mother and all of you, and she won’t want to hit the children.’

“ ‘How would you do that?’

“ ‘Let me think on it, but believe me. I will be back. Good-bye, Uncle Tommy.’

“That brought the first smile out of him, and as I waved he waved back.

“Then he jumped off the log and he ran after me. I stopped, of course, to let him catch up.

“ ‘Hey, do you believe in the lost kingdom of Atlantis?’ he asked.

“ ‘Well, I do believe it’s lost, but I don’t know if I believe it’s real,’ I said.

“He laughed a real belly laugh.

“ ‘What do you think, Tommy? Do you believe in it?’

“He nodded. ‘I hope to find the ruins actually,’ he said. ‘I want to lead a party to find it. You know, an underwater expedition.’

“ ‘Sounds wonderful,’ I said. ‘We’ll talk about it as soon as I have time. I’ve got to go to work now.’

“ ‘Really? I thought you were so rich you didn’t have to work or even go to school. That’s what everybody says.’

“ ‘I mean work on my problems, Tommy, you know, special things that I feel ought to be done. I’ll see you soon again. I promise. Can I give you a hug?’ I leaned down and did it before he could commit himself. He was a solid, loving little creature. I really adored him.

“When I got to the car Allen was shaking his head.

“ ‘I hope you don’t want us to clean up this place,’ he said. ‘That septic tank in back is overflowing something awful.’

“ ‘So that’s what that smell is,’ I said. ‘I didn’t know.’