I reply that I don't write children's stories; and he writes back that at a recent congress/book fair/seminar a certain novelist said every writer ought to write at least one story for children. I think of sending a postcard saying I don't accept that I "ought" to write anything.
-- Narrator (n/a)

Importance: The narrator summarizes a correspondence about writing for children. This foreshadows one of the major arguments made by the story: that it is essential for children’s stories to reflect the reality of the world they live in so that children are kept safe and are encouraged to change things that need changing. At this stage in the story, the narrator is yet to realize this.

I was waiting for it; waiting to hear if it indicated that feet were moving from room to room, coming up the passage to my door. I have no burglar bars, no gun...
-- Narrator (n/a)