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Mara was used to weird things happening to her. And now here on vacation in Britain where they thought ‘Penguin’ was an appropriate brand name for a chocolate cookie, honestly she had been prepared for anything.

It was still a bit of a surprise though. Wandering around London’s Natural History Museum… Stopping to casually examine a tableau of stuffed foxes and cubs… Spotting two marble heads tucked behind the vixen—one in a woollen hat and the other in sunglasses, and the two of them arguing together in hushed tones...

“Everything… okay there, guys?” she asked.

The two heads froze. Then they swiveled to stare at her.

“Please don’t give us away!” said the one in the hat.

“We’re on the run from the British Museum!” said the one in the sunglasses.

Of course they were. Mara raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not part of the Elgin Marbles, are you?”

“No!” cried Hat. “If only!”

Sunglasses sighed. “We’re a couple of heads of indeterminate age, carved by an unknown and minor artist. We’re just kept in storage all the time! So we managed to nab a couple of disguises and get out via a catering van.”

Mara felt bemused. “Were the disguises really necessary?” She smiled weakly. “I can’t help but feel that the tuque and the sunglasses are only drawing more attention to you.”

“Tuque…?”

Sunglasses exchanged a look with Hat.

“So, you’re Canadian?” said Hat.

“Um, yes…?” said Mara. “I’m just over here for another week.”

“This is marvellous!” Sunglasses was beaming. “Brexit? Boris Johnson as prime minister? We really want to get out of Britain altogether, and moving to Canada would be perfect! Surely they’d grant us asylum—there must be a museum somewhere in the country that would have us.”

“Will you help us?” Hat was looking hopeful.

Mara stared at them both.

“You want me to smuggle a couple of large, heavy marble heads out of the UK without getting caught. And then smuggle a couple of large, heavy marble heads into Canada without getting caught.”

She shrugged.

“Yeah, why not. It sounds less complicated than me retrieving my dentist’s mother from hell last month.”

The marble heads cheered quietly.

The security guard smiled at Mara as she passed by. Then frowned as he noticed her bulging satchel.

“Is that anything I need to worry about, madam?”

Mara gave him a bright and reassuring smile.

“Oh, no. I’m just… heading out.”