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     Everything is bad.
     The sky is dark. Everyone looks really scared. Even the firemen look really scared as they shout at the mummies to come away from the burning school, even though the mummies can’t hear them ’cause they’re yelling for their children to come out from the fire – but no-one does.
     Maybe the children can’t hear their mummies ’cause of the ringing – the bell hasn’t stopped since the big bang and the big flash that made nearly everyone’s knees go wobbly and one lady actually fell over.
     Lois wishes that bell would stop. It’s so loud that she can’t even hear herself when she coughs – and she’s coughing a lot. Her eyes are stinging too. But she must find her mummy. Mummy.
     Mummy had been right next to her, but now she isn’t. Lois can’t remember when she went. She doesn’t think she’s one of the mummies screaming down at the school, or one of the mummies being hugged by one of the firemen from behind as they try to jump away and end up kicking the air.
     She cries: "Mum?"
     She realises the ringing is getting in the way of her voice.
     So she shouts: "Mummy!"
     But the ringing is loud, so loud...
     Two hands cup her shoulders, and she screams and turns at the same time. Now she’s looking straight into the good, kind, lovely face of Uncle Dore-Dore – and then she’s squeezing her eyes tight shut as she pushes her head as close to his chest as it can possibly go, her arms wrapped right around him.
     His voice is friendly as always, and somehow makes it through the ringing: "Lilo, where’s Mummy?"
     Lois shakes her head. She can’t say anything. She doesn’t want this hug to end.
     But now her feet aren’t touching the road, and she feels Uncle Dore-Dore’s big strong arm slide under her legs so she can sit and rest. His body is bobbing as he carries her, jigging her up and down.
     Suddenly she feels something cold against her bottom. She opens her eyes and sees Uncle Dore-Dore has put her down on the stone steps of the church on the other side of the road to the school.
     She shakes her head and reaches for him: "No!"
     "Lilo, I need to go find Mummy."
     "No!"
     Uncle Dore-Dore takes her reaching hand and puts it in a sandwich with both of his, then he closes his eyes for a moment. Mummy sometimes does that when she’s cross – but Uncle Dore-Dore never gets cross.
     Now he smiles at her, though part of his face is frowning at the same time: "Alright, Lilo – I’m not leaving you. Just hold on."
     He keeps hold of her hand with one of his while the rest of his body turns to look out across the road. Lois can now see some policemen who are hugging some mummies like the firemen are.
     A scratching sound behind her makes Lois turn around. The church door opens, and a boy comes out. He’s old – like one of the boys who goes to big school, but maybe just a bit older. He’s wearing a baseball cap on backwards. He sees Lois, frowns, then laughs, then looks up and sees the police and looks all scared. He runs backwards until his back hits the church wall, and then he starts sliding along it towards some big wide wheelie bins.
     But now Lois is being lifted again by Uncle Dore-Dore, and he’s carrying her across the road to the school gate. A lady policeman is shouting at them, but Uncle Dore-Dore ignores her and goes to a black sack someone’s left at the corner of the gate.
     Except it’s not a black sack: it’s Mummy. She’s crouched down, staring at the burning school, her eyes wide, and black stuff is running down her face mixed in with her tears.
     Lois is put down on her feet by Uncle Dore-Dore. She stands there and watches Mummy – just watches her.
     Uncle Dore-Dore gently puts a hand on Mummy’s back. He says: "Joanie?"
     Mummy’s head snaps round so she can look at him, and then her face is going crinkly as her eyes get watery.
     She’s saying something Lois can’t understand: "I killed him, Theo. I killed him. I killed my darling boy..."
     And now she’s crying loudly into Uncle Dore-Dore’s chest as he hugs her, rubbing her back, facing away from Lois and looking at the black bricks that now stand where the school used to be.

Next Chapter: Ryder