All childhood's come to an end, but few are lucky to pinpoint the exact moment, when it happens. For Esma's narrator this happened, when she was 11 years old and she and her friends agreed to play with dolls for the one last time. It truly was the last time, because after that the previously prized toys were laid to rest and collect dust in shelves and boxes, until the time came to pass them on to children, who would play with them again. 

Esma had sensed for few weeks now that something in her life was about to change. Maybe her mother had mentioned in passing about younger siblings arriving soon or maybe it was something she had heard and picked up on from other people. She had not been mature enough to truly understand, what it meant. But the girl grasped it now, when she was the last to arrive in response to her mother's call. There were others already on guard, watchful and alert. And somewhere in the darkness of the den her mother lied with new children by her side. 

Which meant that there was no place for her daughter there any longer. When this realization hit, the invisible bond that had kept Esma tethered to Ash Paw far longer than her siblings was cut and gone. While she observed the party that had gathered to congratulate the new life that come in this world, she inexplicably knew that her childhood was over. That she no longer belonged to this circle. Without coming closer to engage with anyone, she turned on her heel and disappeared quietly in the shadows.