Semi-precious Stones
The story appears to take place over a little more than a year, as shown by the list of stones which are used as the Word: opal, jasper, agate, malachite, tourmaline, beryl, porphyry, sapphire, cinnabar, turquoise, tiger's eye, garnet, topaz, taafite, and pyrite. The narrator celebrates his twenty-sixth birthday during "beryl", and buys the ice cream bar during "sapphire". He causes a murder to occur using "topaz". The final events take place just as pyrite replaces taafite.
Read more about this topic: Time Considered As A Helix Of Semi-Precious Stones
Famous quotes containing the word stones:
“The mad girl with the staring eyes and long white fingers
Hooked in the stones of the wall,”
—Robinson Jeffers (1887–1962)