In the evening Lou disappeared with Francis again. They had a game, she said, an appointment to play a game. She was so happy and enthusiastic—it was good to see her like that.

While she was away, I sat with Caleb and Martin outside the hall. I was unable to think of anything but how hungry I was, talked about nothing, about everything, joked.

I didn’t notice that Lou had come back, but suddenly she appeared beside me. She’d smiled. Slyly? Yes, she had smiled slyly. And she’d gone straight inside. Then she’d said she wanted to go to bed. And now she was lying here, hiding something.

I tried to move closer, but she didn’t want to make room for me.

“Lou?”

She didn’t reply.

“Lou, what are you up to?”

“Nothing.” She didn’t dare look me in the eyes.

“Sit up.”

“No.”

The elderly couple spoke more softly, understanding that something was happening.

“Lou.”

“No!” She shook her head fiercely.

“Get out of bed now.”

She curled up again like a hedgehog in her bed.

I threatened her, but it didn’t help. Now the elderly couple was silent.

“Lou!”

“No!”

Finally I had to lift her entire body out of bed.

She squirmed in my arms. Fought back. But without a word, without making a sound. Just soft, belabored breathing.

“What is going on with you?” I whispered.

I sat her down hard on my own bed. I turned toward hers, pulled off the sheet.

But there was nothing there.

Lou had clearly given up fighting back. She just sat there, a limp heap, with an expression on her face that was so guilty I almost had to laugh.

And now I saw what she was hiding. A lump in the mattress. She’d hidden something under it. I lifted the mattress. It was a tin can. A picture of yellow corn shined back at me from the label. It felt heavy in my hand.

At that moment the elderly couple walked past in the hallway.

I quickly hid the can from them behind my back.

“Nothing here,” I said loudly. “That’s good.”

Then I dropped the mattress back in place, took hold of Lou, and led her outside with me.

I pulled her with me away from the hall, between the rows of tents and barracks, past clusters of people. Behind the sanitary barracks I finally found a calm spot. We sat down there. I put the can between us.

“Where did you get this from?”

Lou stared down at the ground. She pressed her lower lip beneath her upper lip, almost eating it, but said nothing.

“Did someone give it to you?”

Still no answer.

“Lou? Did you get it from Francis?”

She shook her head.

“Somebody else? Someone who wanted to do something nice for you?”