There had been a lot of bickering. A lot. And I was, frankly, tired of it. No longer able to pretend to care when one complained that the other one was looking at him. Or copying him. Or who-knows-what-ing him.

‘I’m going to set the timer for ten minutes,’ I finally decided after serving them lunch. And no one may talk until the timer goes off.

The words were still hanging in the air when Percy started talking. Clearly, my speech had had worked. ‘Percy, you can’t talk until the timer goes off,’ I reminded. And, two seconds later, I reminded him again.

But then, I sat down and ate my lunch and they ate their lunch and for ten, glorious minutes, there was silence.

The End.