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visit.”
    Nathan stood up as straight as he could, and kept his mouth tightly closed.
    “Look at this one,” said Steamspell, slapping the newest boy on the shoulders. “Ones with freckles don’t come through very often. And he’s clever. Boy, say something clever.”
    “I’d watch eighteen hours of television a day if I could,” said the boy. Suddenly he frowned, as if realizing that what he’d said was not as clever as what he’d hoped he’d say.
    “He’s on crutches,” said the man.
    “Yes,” said Steamspell. “A tragic thing.”
    “Will he always need them?”
    “Well, I don’t know. I suppose not. And rest assured that the adoption fee would include both crutches. I wouldn’t just send him home with you, unable to walk.”
    “May we have a moment?” asked the man.
    “By all means.”
    The man and his wife stepped off to the side. They whispered amongst themselves for a minute, then returned to where Steamspell stood.
    “No, we don’t want the crippled one. What else have you got?”
    “No others, sorry. Next week, perhaps.”
    Nathan waved his hand. “Mr. Steamspell!”
    Steamspell gave him a look that could melt skulls.
    “I don’t think we’ve seen that boy before,” said the man.
    “Oh, you don’t want to see that one,” said Steamspell. “He’s quite diseased. It’s actually very irresponsible of me to have him so close to the others. Next week, then?”
    After the man and wife left, Steamspell smacked Nathan on the back of the head. “What did you think you were doing?”
    “But I’m new!”
    “I’m not saying there aren’t parents for you out there, but even a drunken hobo knows that boys on crutches outrank boys with demon teeth. If they passed on him, in what possible universe do you think they’d be interested in the ghoulish likes of you?”
    Nathan hung his head. “No universe, sir.”
    “That’s right. So I can’t have you scaring off potential clients who were never going to adopt you anyway. What if you’d given them such a jolt that they never returned? Is your conscience flexible enough to accept the idea of frightening away the new mother and father of one of your fellow orphans? A mother and father who would give them food, shelter, and a parent’s love? One of these boys might have the chance to sit in a large warm house, sipping hot chocolate next to a roaring fire with a cat on their lap, but because of your selfish attempt to bring attention to yourself they might die in this place, nothing but skin and bones and two deep crevices in their face where the tears eroded their flesh. Is that what you want?”
    Nathan was sick to his stomach. “No, sir. I’m sorry, sir.”
    “Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to the other boys, whose chance at happiness you crushed. Go on, walk down the line and say you’re sorry to each one of them.”
    Feeling the most intense shame of his life, Nathan walked down the row of boys, head lowered as he told each of them that he was very, very sorry for what he’d done. Some of them thanked him, some snickered, and some glared at him as if he truly had destroyed their chances of not dying in this hellhole.
    The boys continued to stand at attention for a while longer, while Steamspell grumbled about how few aspiring parents had shown up that day. Another husband and wife arrived but didn’t even make it halfway down the line before the woman sighed and tugged on her husband’s sleeve. “Let’s just go. There’s nothing here.”
    None of the boys were adopted that day.
    “This is very disappointing,” said Steamspell. “How is it possible that I could not unload even one of you? There was not even an attempt to haggle! What are you boys doing wrong that makes you so unlovable by even those who are actively seeking children?”
    Reggie raised his hand.
    Steamspell glared at him. “What?”
    “If you could provide more soap, more parents would want to adopt us. The sliver of soap I’m given each day barely