Child

Mother

You get on a steam train with Ramona. Everybody else on the train is wearing a gas mask. Even children. One child is wearing a gas mask with a single cartridge at the front and the ears of a pig. It's also pink like a pig. The child stares at you. Their parent looks down and tells them not to stare.

You're too afraid and confused to say or think anything properly. All you want to do is curl up and go to sleep, but you don't want to go to sleep in an unfamiliar place, and nowhere is familiar to you. Ramona reassures you that you'll be okay and you start to lean against her. She lets you.

Ramona takes off her gas mask and overcoat and introduces you to her apartment. "Here is the kitchen. This is where I make all my tea and my ramen." She smiles at you. "That's pretty much all I eat. I can make you other food though. Anything you want." She places a blanket on her couch. Stuffs a pillow inside a pillow case from her cupboard and raises her eyebrows at you. "You can sleep here. Just until we find your real home."

Real home.

Real home.

Real home.

Real

home.

"It's okay," she tells you, noticing your expression. "We'll definitely find your parents. I'm sure they're really worried about you." You're not as sure as she says she is. You know your mother is too far away to find you any time soon. You sit down on Ramona's couch, put the blankets over your feet.

Ramona puts on some music. She takes off her big boots and corset and sways in time with the music. She serves you up some noodles which you ingurgitate without saying a word. She smiles at you.

She tells you that until you have a home to go back to, her home is your home. You can have anything in the fridge and pantry aside from alcohol. You can turn on the tv whenever you want, but she says it's usually pretty boring. She says she'll find you clothes that fit you and that make you feel good. She says if you ever need anything, you can tell her.

She helps you take a bath. You're all exposed and she could be anyone. It's like when you first saw her. She saw all of you, and you didn't see any of her. Now you can see her eyes, her face. She wants nothing but to help you, but you don't want to need help. While you're in the bath, Ramona cuts a piece of fabric from the side of her dress. Then she cuts more off and sews the pieces together. She keeps cutting up her dress until there isn't much of it left. Just her long legs in tights full of holes.

She dries you off with a towel and lends you yet another t-shirt. Except this t-shirt is acting in the role of pyjamas and it belongs to Ramona and not the Chief of Police. She gives you a cup of tea before you go to bed. You know tea, but you don't know if you like it or which kind is your favourite. When you drink the tea, though, you decide your favourite is whatever Ramona makes you. You decide you like Ramona.