It was Saturday, and Christian sat with his family in the living room, sharing happy stories about the children who often stayed with them. Christian's eyesight had improved slightly; he could now see light and some blurry shapes.

"Hey Chris," his sister called, "why don't we ask Bella to let Lucas and Lucy stay tonight and pick them up tomorrow? It's quite late now. She said she'd bring them after the supermarket, but they haven't arrived yet. It's dark already; perhaps she changed her mind about bringing them."

"No, Marta warned me they might be late, but said they'd come even if it took an hour. The children say they...