I peered at the exhibits, and as I did so, a memory rose unbidden in my mind. “I used to see these things at the country fairs,” I said, “when I was a little kid. My sister Mary gave me the money to make one go once….” “Didn’t know you had a sister,” the skull said. “I’ve got six.” I didn’t mention that I hadn’t seen any of them for years; that only Mary still wrote to me from the North of England. I tried to ignore the dull pang that accompanied the thought.

