The sun began to rise but there was no warmth in it, and Maria started to shiver. She heard footsteps approaching from behind and turned to see a woman, stooped and elderly-looking but probably no older than her.

“I’ve broken my leg,” she called. “Please get help.”

The woman barely glanced at her as she walked past without stopping. Maria was distraught. What kind of person would do that? The cold was penetrating her bones now and she began to feel sleepy. That was dangerous; a sign of hypothermia. If she gave in, she would never wake again. There was nothing for it but to start dragging herself home.

She reached out with her arms and pulled herself a few inches along the pavement. A jab of excruciating pain made her scream out loud. She paused and tried to shift her weight so that the other leg was closer to the ground, then pulled herself forward again. It was still agony. For a moment she thought she would give up; just lie down and die. It was tempting. But then she pictured her children. Little Yelena was only just eleven and needed her mommy. What would Mikhail and Katya think when they got back to find her gone? And she would be letting Peter down if she did not do all she could to stay alive.

Gritting her teeth, she dragged herself forward once more. When she reached the main road, several people walked around her with eyes averted. She didn’t ask for help now, just focused her will on each movement onward.

It must have been over an hour later when she reached the corner of her street. The sun was fully risen and the ice was melting, soaking through her coat. Her leg was throbbing, sending needles of pain up her spinal cord, but the door to her block was in sight.

“Mama!” a voice screamed, and she turned to see Yelena rushing down the road, with Galina close behind carrying a basket. “What happened?”

“I fell on the ice.” Maria bit her lip at another spasm of pain. “Can you find someone to help me upstairs? I can’t walk.”

While Yelena went inside to fetch a neighbor, Maria told Galina the truth, that her leg was broken.

“You should be in hospital,” Galina said, but there was no way to get her there.

Yelena returned with a teenage boy who lived on the ground floor, and among the three of them they managed to lift Maria so that her bad leg dangled and she half hopped, was half carried up to the third floor.