[Hat, Phoenix, and a pole. Three things, two hands. He did not want to let go of Phoenix; he could fly away. If he let go of his hat, then his hat could fly away. There was a simple solution to this: use another hand. The last two fingers of one glove became limp and he reached a black claw out from inside his coat. Once he clutched the pole with his claw, he let go of Phoenix.

He looked back. Now what? He saw the corner, but he relied heavily on Phoenix for guidance.]