November 25th: The wind is very cold and John is scared as it beats against the house. He thinks it might fall over. The nurses laugh gently and call him a “silly dear.”

November 26th: John sees Tessie running to the stairs and follows her. He trips on a shoe and fractures his pelvis. He is rushed to hospital. It smells too clean. The ambulance makes nasty noises. John is scared.

November 27th: John doesn’t know anyone in the hospital. He doesn’t recognise voices or smells. He tries to say he doesn’t need help but can’t. Nobody comes to visit him. Nobody cares.

November 28th: John is left alone all night. He calls for a nurse but one doesn’t come. He waits in the dark and shivers. He wishes his mother was there to hold his hand. He wants his teddy.

November 29th: John is confirmed dead. His body is sent home in an ambulance. The nurses at the Old People’s Home send it to his granddaughter.

November 30th: John is buried. The funeral had been arranged before he died. A poppy is planted over the gravestone.