The interrogation room was stuffy. I wanted a glass of water. I wanted to phone Helena. I wanted to know who reported me to the police. But I couldn’t afford to waste any words.

“The answer is, it’s simply not fair. Without words, there’s a lot we can’t do. We can’t whinge to our wives and husbands when we have a rough day at work. We can’t read stories to our children. We can’t discuss the football results with our mates. We can’t tell our families how much we love them. Without words, we can’t properly live. And that’s all we want. The right to live the same as you.

(Voice can be angry or sad)

No. That’s not true.