Holden nodded, almost solemnly, as he responded to Izzy, "Yes, I'm aware of the dangers implied in giving you so much power over me. I know you're the lonely type who's never had a boyfriend, and will probably never get married, so having this level of control over a man should be a unique experience for you. Savor it."

Surely reeling from the most recent exchange of insults, a wayward glance away from Holden had Izzy's eye caught by something just at the perimeter of her notice. Near the edge of the park, where the trail met the street, there seemed to be a boy standing there. Grade-school age, maybe nine or ten, with a short buzzcut and a rather overstuffed backpack. The size of the bag was such that if you knocked him onto his back he probably would be stuck, like a turtle. Izzy couldn't see much beyond that, given that the boy was facing a metal sign that was posted at the entrance to the trail. The sign was kind of worn, but it was an approximate map of the residences and streets in the area around the park at the time of the park's construction. He was evidently comparing it to a sheet of paper he was carrying, which either had an address or a hand-drawn map on it. Either way, he didn't seem to be making much progress with his attempts at navigation.

Izzy could just make out a nametag hanging from his bag after he turned a certain way. Scrawled in marker with thick letters and childish handwriting was the name "MICHEAL," but the rest of it was illegible. Evidently his name was too long for the nametag, and he had been forced to cram the rest of the letters into an overly small space, and so the most she could make out was "HEND-." Maybe Holden could make out more of it?