It was the end of a long day. The Saturday had been tied up with a range of activities for the children, from harvesting cotton and carrying them to the warehouse to music practicals in the afternoon. Okayo spared a moment with the gatekeeper before attending his piano lesson. They called the man Pita, a Swahili word which meant 'pass'. Pita seemed to be quite accommodative and sprightly, at least not like he had appeared to be before when they first met at the gate. It was, however, said that the man suffered from cyclothymia; he would seem to be jovial one moment but then quickly turn gloomy or even ballistic after a few minutes of talk. Others also said he was paranoic, hence his extreme irrational distrust towards people, and yet others that he had demons in him. Okayo went to him to enquire about Mr. Shan. The man spoke to him genially and said that Mr. Shan had been fired. When Okayo asked him why, he laughed hilariously and replied that Mr. Shan might have been
