I look across the lawn at the spider’s web. It still delights me to find I can see it in precise detail, but then I become interested in what I’m seeing. Now that’s strange. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that. It’s like a pouch on the web. What’s it for? Babies, maybe?

I’m distracted by someone approaching.

‘Here you go, Mrs Woodruff. Tea and a biscuit.’

‘Thank you – Dave, isn’t it?’

‘That’s me. How are you today?’

‘Exceptionally well, thank you. And you?’

‘I’m good, thanks.’

‘How do you like it here?’

‘Love it. I never thought it would be like this,’ he replies.

‘Like what?’

‘Forgive me, but I remember my nan went into a home, and it was horrible. It stank, and they were all in a terrible state. I was frightened to go there. Hated it. I was almost glad when she—’

He stops himself, and blushes.

‘Don’t worry, Dave. I know what you mean. This place is a miracle, frankly. If you’d told me when I was your age I’d be cared for by robots – sorry, Helpers – when I was old and gaga, I wouldn’t have believed you. And it would have been repellent. It turns out it’s easy to accept, and it’s brilliant.’

‘Yes, I can see it is. And you’re not gaga, not by any means.’

‘I was. I think so. I can’t remember. I have a black hole from not long after my husband died and up to a few months ago. And then it’s as if I woke up.’

‘You had Alzheimer’s?’

‘Something of the sort. Not anymore.’

‘I thought it was incurable,’ he says, looking at me with disbelief.

‘It was.’

‘Are you telling me they’ve found a cure now?’

‘It seems like it.’

‘I read something about all this. Winifred talked about nutrition and that.’

‘Yes…’

I pause, remembering they haven’t announced anything about nanobots yet.

This young man is on the team, isn’t he? He works for Eldercare. If he were a Helper, he’d know all about it. It seems unfair that as a human he’s been kept in the dark. He should know, just in case. If there’s some kind of power cut, and all the Helpers run out of electricity – if that’s possible – it would help if the humans in the place had some idea what to do.

‘It’s a big secret, but they gave us all an injection of microscopic robots. Nanobots, they call them. I don’t know how they’re put in, actually, but they’re inside me. And look how well they work. I expect they’ll make millions.’

‘I expect so too,’ says Dave. He’s shaking a little. This is all very surprising.

‘We’ve all got them,’ I say.