The children were not at school. It was an odd feeling. This freedom was what they had longed for, begged for every school night since forever. To be freed from school for as long as they wanted, to be allowed to play video games all day, to eat chocolate for breakfast and ice-cream for lunch and to make as much mess as they liked without ever ever being shouted at.
It had been exciting for the first two days, fun for the following three. But by now the heady freedom had dissolved into an aching boredom with a great emptiness at its heart. Suddenly, absurdly, they longed for routine, for order, even to be scolded by Mrs MacDonald for not paying attention in Maths.
But more than anything they longed for their mother.
And they cried because they knew that she was never coming back.
The children were not at school.