Thunder on the left

A summer rain drapes the house in a gentle hush as the old nursery is stripped of its faded Mother‑Goose wallpaper and replaced with fresh, damp paper. Ten‑year‑old Martin watches the new strips dry, recalling the bob‑tailed mice that once danced across the walls, while the house smells of paste and anticipation on his birthday. The grown‑ups settle on the veranda for tea, unaware that the children have already turned the dining room into a secret world of their own.

Inside, Martin, his younger sister Bunny, and a handful of friends launch into a game they call “Stern Parents.” They imitate adult authority, swapping scoldings and petty punishments, then dramatically “disappear” under the table until someone offers a kind word. The playful rebellion reveals how children negotiate power, imagination, and the longing to be heard, all while the adults watch bemusedly from the doorway, half‑amused and half‑confounded by the earnest seriousness of the youngsters’ pretend court.