Sasha watched Luda with envy as she left the orphanage—her new mum and dad were signing the papers, giving her a family at last. Luda had told him about the zoo, where Sasha had never been, the puppet theatre where she saw a real Baba Yaga, and the apricot jam with pits that tasted like home.
Johnny watched Lucy with a deep pang of envy. She was being taken from the orphanagenew parents were signing papers, and soon shed have a family. Lucy had told him stories of outings with them: the zoo, where Johnny had never been; the puppet theatre, where shed seen a real-life witch from folktales; and the jamapricot, with pits still inside.
Johnny was five. For as long as he could remember, hed lived in the orphanage. Children came and went. When Alex vanished, Johnny had asked Mrs. Wilkins, “Miss, wheres Alex?”
“Gone home, to a family,” shed said.
“Whats a family?” Johnny pressed.
Mrs. Wilkins sighed. “A family is where youre always wanted, always loved.”
“Wheres *my* family?” hed asked.
Shed only looked at him sadly, silent.
From then on, Johnny never asked again. He understood: family was something precioussomething he didnt have.
When Lucy disappeared for two days and returned in a pretty dress, hair brushed, clutching a new doll, Johnny wept. No one had ever come for *him*. He wasnt wanted.
Then Mrs. Wilkins entered, carrying a jumper and trousers. “Get dressed, Johnny. Youve visitors.”
“Me?” His heart leapt. “Who?”
“They want to meet you.”
Johnny dressed and sat stiffly on the bench. Mrs. Wilkins took his hand and led him to the visiting room. A man and woman waited. The man was tall, bearded; the woman small, slender, lovelylike a rose, Johnny thought. She smelled of flowers.
“Hello,” she said softly. “Im Emily. And you?”
“Johnny,” he whispered. “Who are you?”
“Wed like to be your friends,” Emily said. “Andwe need your help.”
“Help?” He glanced at the man.
The man crouched before him. “Im David. We heard youre brilliant at drawing. Could you sketch a robot for us?”
Johnny straightened. “Yes. What kind?”
David fetched a bag, pulling out a sketchbook, pencils, and a massive robotshiny, pristine, its parts glinting in the sunlight. Johnny gasped. It was Optimus Prime.
“You know hes leader of the Transformers?” Johnny breathed.
“You like him?” David asked.
“*Yes*.”
“Keep him, the pencilsdraw for us. But first, lets talk. Like friends.”
For an hour, they chattedtoys, his bed, the boots that let in the cold. Emily held his hand; David ruffled his hair.
Mrs. Wilkins reappeared. “Time for supper, Johnny.”
David shook his hand. “Well return in a week. Can you finish the drawing?”
“Youll really come back?”
“Promise,” Emily said, hugging him so tight his ribs creaked. Tears brimmed in her eyes.
“Why are you crying?”
“Just dust, love.”
At supper, Johnny barely ate. He raced to his room, unpacked the robot, marveling at its movable limbs. He sketched feverishlyuntil the older boys burst in.
“Blimey,” sneered Danny. “Gimme that.”
He snatched the toy, tossing it high.
“Stop!” Johnny screamed. “Its not mine!”
“Nothing heres *yours*,” Danny jeered.
They wrestled. A crackthe robots leg snapped off in Johnnys hands. He sobbed, lunged, and Danny hurled the broken toy at his face. Blood spurted from Johnnys nose.
Mrs. Wilkins cleaned him up. “Shame on you. Toys are shared.”
“It wasnt *mine*!” Johnny wept. “They *lent* it!”
She sighed. “Go draw.”
How? It was ruined. But he propped it against a wall, wedged the leg with a box, and sketched. By bedtime, one drawing was done. The next day, two more. Soon, the entire sketchbook brimmed with robots.
A week passed. “Will Emily and David come?” Johnny asked.
Mrs. Wilkins face fell. “Theyre late, love. Maybe they wont.”
Johnny cried himself to sleep. *Because I broke it*, he thought.
The next morning, Mrs. Wilkins beamed. “Visitors, Johnny.”
He tore to the doorEmily and David stood there.
“Hello,” she said. “Fancy the zoo?”
Johnny burst into tears.
“Whats wrong?” David knelt.
Johnny fetched the sketchbook and broken robot. “Im sorry,” he whispered, offering the pieces.
David laughed. “*Yours*, Johnny. A gift.”
Johnny handed him the sketches.
“Perfect!” David said. “Exactly what we needed. And dont worryIll fix him.”
At the zoo, Johnny gaped at lions, giraffes, chattering monkeys. Hed never seen such wonders.
Later, Emily squeezed his hand. “Wed like you to come home with us.”
Home? His chest tightened.
Their flat had space-themed wallpaper, a race-car bed, shelves of toys.
“Who lives here?” Johnny asked.
David and Emily sat with him, each holding a hand.
“Johnny,” David said gently, “we want you to stay. Forever. This is your room. Your toys. Your bed. If youd like you could be our son.”
“*Son*?” Johnnys voice cracked. “A family?”
Emily nodded. “Our family.”
“ButIm nobody. And I broke the robot”
“Youre *ours*,” she whispered.
Johnny cried, nodding wildly. He loved them. Loved this room. Never wanted to leave.
David grinned. “Is that a yes?”
“Ill be good!”
They scooped him up, laughing, kissing his cheeks.
And Johnnyfinally, *finally*had a family. His own. Real.