The linen press was emptied of all the beach towels and stacked on top of the dining room table by two enthusiastic cubby house builders. The chairs were pulled out to make room under the table. The beach towels were secured to the table top with a zoo of soft toys and the long ends draped over the backs of the chairs and pegged in place. The eldest returned to her bedroom and fetched her doona as the floor of the cubby house while her younger brother rummaged through the plastics cupboard for plates and bowls then put them on the bench for Dad. One bowl for carrot sticks, the other for hummus. On each plate a toastie with melted cheese oozing from the sides. They sat cross-legged beneath the vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows and ate with the innocence of ones who did not understand why the police regularly knocked on their front door.
A Fullness in Brevity - Adam Byatt 