Summary

In “De-Luxe Model” by Adam Thorpe, an eleven-year-old boy presents the impression that the arrival of a dishwasher in his friend’s family has made on him. The boy-narrator has a friend, Hugh Gould, whose parents have just finished remodelling their kitchen. When he is invited to play with Hugh, the narrator notices how the entire kitchen is furnished with the latest equipment, but also that the dishwasher becomes the centrepiece of the room. Hugh’s parents are very proud of the dishwasher, and Hugh’s mother asks the boys to participate in loading and unloading the machine.

During the hour in which the dishwasher does its cycle, Hugh invites the narrator to his room to show him a secret. Hugh opens a box in which a little mouse called Basildo...