An unnamed narrator relates the story of the time Eric, a foreign exchange student who seems to be a tiny being made of shadow with a head shaped like a flower, came over to stay with them for a while. Eric is so small he prefers to stay in the kitchen pantry, and instead of the usual foreign exchange student questions about the local area, Eric's questions are entirely unexpected. When Eric leaves just as unexpectedly as his questions, the narrator finds a nice surprise Eric made for his family in the pantry.