I opened the door and let them enter ahead of me.

When I turned the deadbolt, the click made both girls flinch.

I explained it immediately.

“That keeps other people outside.

You aren’t locked away from me.”

I was not sure how much they understood.

They were three-year-olds who had climbed into a bin to avoid a man.

I could not expect a sentence to make them stop being frightened.