"Oh."
"Go to sleep, Robbie. You've got to rest."
"But I'm hungry."
"Sleep, dear. We'll eat ... later." She kissed him, sat on the ground beside him and rocked his head in her weary arms.
"For those of you students who do not understand the languages of this planet, I'll interpret. She was trying to comfort her young one, telling him that his father was going to make everything right again when they found him. While inwardly she knew they would never find him alive. Primitive peoples often react to disasters in this way, making themselves and others around them believe things that are not true."
Slowly Helen opened her eyes. She sat up slowly, taking in the scene around her. She sat that way for a moment, thinking, her mind far from there, somewhere in southern France where her aunt and uncle were. She wondered if—
"Robbie," she whispered. She nudged his shoulder gently, trying to awaken him. Finally his eyes opened. He smiled wistfully.
"Get up, dear. We've got to be going now."
"I'm hungry."
"I know. So am I. We'll find something to eat pretty soon. You will have to wait."