The stall man eyed them through the steam of his cup, drank, lipped his mustache.

It is a nice car, Trn said. Best not touch it though.

How many crowns is it? Aleks said looking at Trn. I don’t want Baby Jesus to have to spend all the money from Saint Mikulas’s box at the church.

We need to find something for Grandfather, Alena said. Let’s look over here.

Watch it, Trn said. A dog has left an early Christmas gift.

So you’re going to get it for him.

If I can. Soon enough there won’t be any more tin toys. You can count on that.

She sighed. You’re going to spoil him.

I don’t want to spoil him.

He’ll have two shoes full of candy tonight and on Christmas Eve two books and a sweater and a drawing book with pencils. No other boy on the street will have as much.

Some will. Some will have more. The Steinhardt twins will have much more.

You know I mean Czech boys. The Steinhardts have family in Germany to send them things. The Steinhardts own our flat.

He surveyed the crowd. How many more will we have?

There will be other toys.

I mean how many more Christmases will there be.

Don’t talk that way.

But it’s true.

She looked away to the far corner of the square.

You know as well as I do. How many more even like this will we have?

Aleks was watching their whispers. A woman too was looking from the stall of carved pipes they stood before.

Do you think Grandfather wants a new pipe? Aleks asked.

I don’t know.

What about that one? That’s a pretty one. Aleks fisted his pocket, brought out and opened his hand, in his palm a red candy wrapper and a silver coin.

I have ten hellers. Will ten hellers help buy Grandfather a pipe? I don’t know either if he wants one. I know ten hellers, it’s not enough.

Perhaps we should try to find some tobacco to go in the ones he has, Trn said.

We need the ration book for that, Aleks said. Did you bring the ration book?

The boy pinched up the coin from his palm but Alena was looking at Trn. Her eyes darted over her shoulder.

I’ll take him by the plague column then, she said, while you get it.

Trn smiled. He’s scared of the plague column, some of the figures in it, you know.

It’s stone. It’s just stone. She sighed heavily. Then to the stall nearest the column. Come to find us there. Maybe they won’t be selling monsters. She shook her head. God.