The Children at St. Bartholomew's Hospital

Three nurses were in the kitchen. Surely they would drop their cold unfriendliness when they saw her distress? “Can you help me?” she pleaded. Not one of them turned. “Please!” Still no response. Robin took a step closer, but suddenly an impenetrable mist surrounded them. With a strangled sob, she ran from the room. She burst into Poplar ward. The children were there, but, like the nurses in the kitchen, a mist enveloped them and they ignored her frenzied shouts. Terrified, Robin left and hurtled down the main corridor, which led to the rest of the hospital. She allowed hope to enter, when to her surprise, she saw her aunt hurrying along ahead of her. “Auntie Val!” she called desperately. But despair quenched hope, when the mist come rolling from every direction to enclose her aunt. Even so, Robin persevered, chasing her aunt and beseeching her to stop. In the end, Auntie Val went outside and Robin tried to follow, but couldn’t get the door open, and then, through the window, she saw the thick ball of mist that was her aunt float further and further away until it was gone. Not knowing what to do next, Robin tried several more times to open the door, but failed. She became hysterical. “Declan!” she yelled at the top of her voice, racing back to the children’s ward. “Kalwant! Mac! Eileen! Katie! Kwan! Titch! Jackie! Ginger!” Then, “Bill! Bill!” If Bill can frighten away Bell and Fodor, perhaps he can frighten this hallucination away. It is an hallucination, isn’t it? Or a dream, maybe? This can’t be real! “Bill! Bill!” Back at the ward, everything remained the same. “Help me!” Robin screamed at the nurses. “Help me! How many times do I have to say it to undo the curse? Ten? Twenty? One hundred? Two hundred? All right, then! Help me! Help me! Help me!” With every entreaty, Robin battered her fists futilely against the dense mist. The nurses were unmoved.