Our Missing Hearts

Bird suddenly recalls a childhood memory of recreating the events from The Boy Who Drew Cats and hopes he’ll see his mother again. He often passes his old house, which hasn’t sold because his mother isn’t around to sign for it. Bird and his father left the house shortly after his mother’s disappearance because their neighbors were watching them so closely, it felt suffocating to live there. The boy enters the house, hoping to find his mother. The house is dank and empty, but in the cupboard he often used as a hiding place while playing with his mother, he finds a note. The note says “Duchess” and provides an address in New York City. The note is written in Margaret’s handwriting.

Bird returns to the public library, hoping the librarian can help him. He sees a man put a piece of paper in a book and give it to the librarian, shakily saying that he found the book and is certain someone is looking for it. Bird confronts the librarian: He wants help getting to New York and says he knows she’s sneaking something around. The librarian confesses that she helps children who have been separated from their parents reunite.