They slipped into a side corridor and paused in front of three big windows boarded up with torn cardboard. Prudence started rummaging through her bags for her keys. Alvin sidled up against her legs. A bearded man in a military jacket and black Crocs staggered toward them, reaching out as if to pet his hamster-rabbit. Alvin clutched the plastic box and turned his back to him. Prudence noticed the man only after opening the door. She tried to scream but no sound came out. Alvin quickly pushed her into the dark room and shut the door behind them, barely managing to lock it. The red bags dropped from Prudence’s hands. They stood perfectly still, making themselves smaller, making their breaths quieter in the pitch-black room. The hamster-rabbit started making noise. Alvin opened the lid and tried petting her, but the animal kept dodging him. After a few minutes, Prudence turned around and lifted one of the cardboard panels hanging over the window, then peeked out into the hallway. Only when she was confident the man had left did she turn on the light, painting the room in a yellow glow. Prudence leaned against the wall, put her hand on her head, and slid down to the floor. The kettle found its rightful place alongside the pile of items crowding the floor: pairs of shoes, a few wall clocks, broken chairs, and old newspapers. Hundreds of objects Prudence had gathered from across the station in the hope of someday finding a use for each one of them.

Alvin paved his way to the mattress in the corner of the room. He put down the box but wouldn’t look at the hamster-rabbit, still holding a grudge.

“Jesus Christ,” Prudence whispered, rubbing her chest in a vigorous circular motion. “Jesus Christ. They’ll find us in the end. You understand how dangerous it is?”

Alvin nodded, even though he didn’t actually understand. He didn’t know who exactly was looking for them. In the past, Prudence had mentioned cops who wanted to kick them out of the country. She explained it was the only reason they were staying in the station, because it was the one place they wouldn’t dare arrest them. But with time, the cops turned into the homeless and hookers and criminals, who turned into the baddies, who finally turned into vague, nameless, faceless figures. Alvin had already begun to doubt that anyone in the station was actually looking for them, or even knew of their existence; but he didn’t dare ask Prudence, because more than anything else, he feared confronting his mother with a question she couldn’t answer.