Noriko is gathering all kinds of soda bottles; some dark, light, lemon-lime and orange and cola and root beer and everything within reach. Once they're all stacked and in tight, she moves to pilfer cookie boxes from the pantry.

There are so many! Sandwich cookies and Oreos, mint chocolate ones and peanut-butter ones and koala cookies--her favorite--and coconut ones and marshmallow-topped wafers in cellophane all go into the wrap carefully, muffling the sounds of bottles thumping together. She even takes some of the cocoa-hazelnut spread and a double handful of plastic spoons, just because.