I sat up in bed and switched on the lamp. Brian was breathing hard, and behind him I heard Carol whispering and her father asking what was wrong. “Mom, why didn’t you tell us?” he said. “Our whole party is watching you on television right now.” I told him I had tried, once, at dinner, and he had smiled and said there were thousands of platforms like mine. He went quiet. Then I heard a knock at my front door.

I pulled on my robe and walked down the hall. Through the glass I saw two figures on my porch. Brian’s voice cracked through the speaker. “Mom, please do not open it yet,” he said. “There are reporters out there, and they found your address.” My hand rested on the cold doorknob. Then the porch light flickered, and a third man stepped out of the dark.