Helena's backpack is a simple, worn, black bag, made of canvas.

The contents:

  • About a dozen loose, unused kleenex
  • A battered composition notebook, filled with sketches of people's features and life drawing scenes
  • 9 pencils (3 unsharpened)
  • 2 bookmarks
  • large bag of peanut M&Ms
  • A small crowbar
  • 2 rubber bands
  • 1 plastic pirate eye patch
  • 1 pair of canvas shoes with mismatched laces
  • 1 book of matches from a scuzzy motel
  • A battered Isaac Asimov novel without a cover
  • 1 pair of over-sized sunglasses
  • 1 broken iPod
  • a bejeweled cell-phone case.
  • a set of random keys on a large key-ring
  • a tin of curiously strong breath mints
  • an unlabeled rewrite-able CD in a paper envelope
  • a deck of playing cards
  • 1 half roll of duct tape
  • a tube of chapstick
  • 1 bent cigarette
  • 3 scarves
  • an umbrella
  • 2 crumpled dollar bills