This is Albertine. She is seven years old. Three years ago, she lost her mother and has lived with her grandmother ever since, her father has left them. Every noon she comes to have lunch in the ward. The girl seems to feel her strength ebbing away and has decided not to talk anymore. The children at this stage believe that the grown-ups can prevent death but see that they're not doing so. Thus, they seal themselves off and retreat into their own world. And when this happens, Sister Marie Stella and her team prepare the children for death, just as they do with the grown-ups. Albertine was allowed to chose a dress from the dressmakers for the Christmas celebration.
