Summary

As Nathan, Tom, and Lucy continue their car trip, Tom tells a supposedly true anecdote about famous writer Franz Kafka. Kafka once met a young girl in the park who was sad because she lost her doll. For three weeks, Kafka wrote the girl letters from the doll about her new life and new adventures. This cured the girl’s sadness. About two-thirds of the way through the road trip, they stop at a restaurant and gas station. They sit down to eat, and partway through the meal, Lucy goes to the restroom. She then climbs out of the restroom window, buys a few cans of Coca-Cola from a vending machine, and pours the soda into the fuel tank of the car. She then reenters through the bathroom window and returns to the table. When Nathan tries to start the car, it refuses to...