"I didn't tell them properly though. I was ... I was embarrassed. In the morning. I'm not allowed to talk about--about-- about it." He mumbled at the end, stumbling over his words as he took the bear gently from Gunn and cradled it in his arms, almost like a baby. He always wanted a doll but his family were horrified at the idea. It was a shame, dolls seemed like a lot of fun. "I would have come. If my little brother was sick. I don't know why they didn't come, I think I must have been really bad."

Otherwise, it was just hard to get his head around. That it was their fault. That they were the bad ones and not him. "I didn't want to not go to school. I've never been to a zoo before, I really wanted to go. And dad always says that if you can stand, you can go to school."