"There is a queer magic here," says Susan. "Some of the cupboards yield different items every time you open them. Often it's what you're looking for, but sometimes it's not." A little crossly, she clarifies: "I've been trying to find a bow for over a week now, to no avail. The gardens are vast, and we've residents who enjoy the gardening, but I believe the source of the food to be largely magical as well. We haven't got a terribly large number of new arrivals recently, so I haven't been able to reliably determine whether the volume scales accordingly." There've been a number of new people today, but all - she suspects - like Lucy: only here for a short visit. "But it is always fresh, and plentiful."

She glances up at Liu Mingyan. There's not a lot she can see of the woman's face, but she thinks she might recognize the look in her eyes. "If you're thinking this might be a dream, you'd be forgiven for it," she adds. "I thought the same when I first arrived. But it's all quite real."