Making his way to the bathroom, Albert knocked gently on the door. Silence. He knocked again and, still receiving no response, tried the door. It was open. Theo stood in the middle of the bathroom, still clutching the pyjamas in one hand. In the other, he held an oversized towel. He turned as the door opened, staring at Albert unblinkingly.

Something was wrong.

‘Are you all right?’

The boy nodded wordlessly.

‘Come on then, Theo. Have a bath. Then we’ll get you some nice clean clothes and a hot meal. Wouldn’t you like that?’

Another nod.

‘Then why don’t you?’

The boy said nothing.

Albert began to feel the pangs of worry gnawing at him again. Maybe the ordeal the child had undergone would have a lasting effect. He’d read about this—about people exposed to traumatic situations being reduced to hollow wrecks, unable to speak or function. ‘Shell shock’ they called it, or something of the sort.

He walked up to the boy and, placing his hands on the thin, spare shoulders, bent down, so he was looking him right in the eye. ‘What’s wrong?’

The boy mumbled incoherently.

‘What’s that? It’s all right, you know. You’re safe now. So don’t worry, just tell me what’s wrong.’

Again the boy started to say something—then stopped.

Albert tried again. ‘What’s bothering you, Theo?’ he asked, as gently as he could.

The boy gazed at him for a long time. ‘Dunno what to do,’ he said finally.

‘Eh? What?’

‘Dunno how to work this thing! Where’s the water come from, huh?’

Albert would have laughed but refrained, knowing that it would only embarrass Theo further. And, to tell the truth, he didn’t quite dare to give in to the emotion, not sure if it would be a smirk or a sob that would escape him first. It had been that kind of day.

‘Oh, you don’t need to do anything. Just stand there and relax. The hygiene hydraulics will take care of the rest.’

‘That so?’ asked the child. ‘An’ who’s pourin’ the water, then?’

‘Pour—nobody’s pouring anything—it’s just pressurized air with—Look, haven’t you been in a sanitation system before?’

‘Never been inside one o’ these fancy houses ’fore, neither.’

‘Oh. Well, don’t you worry about it. You can take a bath now. Go on.’

The boy didn’t move.

‘Now what’s wrong?’

‘You gonna be watching me, then?’

‘Oh, no, not at all,’ said Albert hastily. ‘Um … I’ll just give you some space then.’

‘You do that, Mac.’