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Kira wondered, s the workday that had just ended Assigned to cleaning-up chores, he had probably been underfoot with hisfood from the women's lunches Fron of hi She hadn't seen the past dark, until the tenders had taken their food trays away At last the entire building was still and the clae had subsided as well

"Thoested, "take your little piece of wood The special one I have ht, but why?"

"I don't know exactly I feel that we should"

Thoh shelf, and put it into his pocket In his other pocket was the wooden key

Together they went down the dimly lit corridor to the stairs

Ahead of her, Thomas whispered, "Shhhh"

"I'm sorry," Kira whispered back "The stick makes a noise But I can't ithout it"

"Here, wait" They stopped beside one of the wall torches Thoth of cloth from the hem of his loose shirt Deftly he tied it around the base of Kira's walking stick The cloth muted the noise of the wooden stick on the tiled floor

The pair ht of stairs and to the door of the room where Jo slept They paused there and listened But there were no sounds Kira's hand, in her pocket, felt no warning from her scrap of cloth She nodded to Tho key and turned it to open the door

Kira held her breath because she feared that a tender ht But the rooh the , held only one sirl

"I'll stay by the door to watch," Thomas murmured "She knows you -- or your voice, at least You wake her"

Kira went to the bed and sat on its edge, propping her stick beside her Gently she touched the small shoulder "Jo," she said softly

The little head, long hair tangled, turned restlessly After a htened look "No, don't!" she cried out, pushing Kira's hand away

"Shhhh," Kira whispered "It's h the door? Don't be afraid"

"I want me mum," the tyke wailed

She was very small Much smaller than Matt Hardlyvoice that she had heard, and htened waif of a thing

Kira picked her up, cradled her, and rocked her back and forth "Shhhh," she said "Shhhh It's all right I'm your friend And see over there? His name is Thomas He's your friend too"

Gradually the tyke was soothed Her eyes opened wide Her thumb slid into herto you at the hole," she said, re

"Yes, the keyhole We whispered to each other"

"You knowher?"

Kira shook her head "No, I'm afraid I can't But I'll be here I live just upstairs And Thomas does, too"

Thomas came nearer and knelt by the bed The tyke stared at him suspiciously, and clutched Kira

Thoht above you," he said in a gentle voice, "and I can hear you"

"You hearis very beautiful"

The tyke scowled "They always be s?" Kira asked her

Jo nodded unhappily "Over and over They be s, they just be there natural But now they be stuffing new things into led hair and sighed, a strangely adult sound that made Kira s around the room, which held many of the same pieces of furniture as the rooms above A bed A tall wooden chest of drawers A table and two chairs

"Jo," he said suddenly, "are you a good climber?"

She frowned and re trees sometimes in the Fen Buts and then they take me to the Field"

Thomas nodded solemnly "Yes, that's probably true, and your ers take you to the Field, you don't never come back Beasts take you" The thumb popped back in

"But look, Jo If you could climb up there --" Thomas pointed to the top of the chest of drawers

The wide eyes followed his pointing finger, and the tyke nodded

"If you stood very tall up there, and if you had so and I would hear you"

The tyke grinned at the thought "You mustn't do it just for fun," Thomas added quickly "Only if you really needed us"