Elijah thought for a long while before answering. “Every season has its challenges. The summer can be too hot, the winter terribly cold. The fall is windy, so it fights me on the bike, and in the spring, well, that is terrible allergy season for me.”

“So you hate them all?”

Elijah shook his head. “No. Actually, I love them all.”

“Really? But you just said—”

“No season is perfect for biking. But they are all good for meeting people and for making a living. There is something good to be gained in every trial, you know.”

I took some more sips from my water bottle and checked on Flames. He looked like he was asleep, for now.

What am I going to do with this bird?

“Elijah,” I said, “have you ever done much exploring in the Ramble?”

Elijah nodded. “On days when I need a break from pedaling, I go there to think.”

“To think? About birds?” Zoe reached down to steady her backpack.

Elijah kept his feet moving on the pedals. “Not about birds. Mostly about how my life is going. How I am thankful to be here, even though it is not always easy. Sitting on the benches, looking up at the trees and blue sky, helps me to focus on what is truly important.”

Zoe leaned forward. “And what is that?”

Elijah turned his head to look back at her. “Breathing. Laughing. Loving people. And lots of other things that I am still thinking about.”

Zoe leaned back and took a deep breath. “I’d like to spend some more time in the Ramble this year. I read there’s a secret cave that’s not open to the public anymore. Do you know how to get to it, Elijah?”

“Oh, yes. I know where it is.”

“Really? Where?” I sat up, ready for Elijah to tell us the location of the cave.

Maybe I could hide Flames there.

But he just laughed. “You’ll have to find that yourself, Mr. Arcade. Something tells me that you are not afraid to take part in an adventure or two.”

I reached for my chest and covered the Triple T Token with my hand. Thankfully, it was the same temperature as my body, for now.

Zoe and I relaxed for the next few minutes in the back of the pedicab. Someone called Elijah, so he talked on his phone as he pedaled away. I watched as the blocks went by . . . 72nd . . . 73rd . . . 74th . . . this was sure faster than walking.

“Is 85th close enough? That’s a natural exit from the park.”

“It’s great!” I reached down and poked Flames’s sleeping head further down in the backpack, stood up, and swung the straps over one shoulder. “I’ll get this for you, sis. You look droopy.”

Zoe narrowed her eyes and grabbed both water bottles. “Thanks so much, Elijah. You saved us today.”