"I can't keep track, either. People come and go, and sometimes you get new voices on the network or the friends of the departed mourning, but not always. We really ought to keep better track, somehow." Balthazar heads into the living room, where a couple cardboard boxes hold odds and ends, including a large aluminum washtub and a plastic wastebin.

"No, no, that floor is my project to fix. I'm the one who damaged it, and I promised."