The Neckerchief Up to His Nose
In his story, when Alek is concentrating or doesn't feel like talking, he pulls the black neckerchief up over his nose. At the workshop they know: neckerchief up, don't talk to him. It's useful against the wind and the dock spray, but mostly it's a switch — it goes up when the world's asking for more than he's got that day. Anyone who knows him knows it's not unfriendliness, just a puffin who needs his moment of silence inside the noise, and who asks for it without spending a single word. A hoodie suits him perfectly, for similar reasons.







