“Children! Sit down!”

But monkeys don’t speak English and the hairy little creatures with their tough young muscles swinging around in their chairs, throwing things the colour of feces and shrieking laughter. The kitten doesn’t hear either as she climbs up the curtains with single-minded determination.

“Be quiet!”

You can’t expect an elephant to be quiet as she stomps around the room and dips her trunk in water to spray the horses as they gallop by in their sneakered feet, kicking up sheets of crumpled paper. And who would dare suppress the roar of the lion, or prevent him from tearing into his prey, the unfortunate paintbox thrown over the walls in sprays of red ink?

The grown up sat down in despair and cried.