Man of stone

We’ve all heard the stories - the woodcutter or miller or princess turned to stone by the wicked witch. But think about it... when that ends, and it does end - after a hundred years, or a thousand - then where are you? Imagine sneezing and opening your eyes to a world that has shuddered and changed. And you have dust and vinegar in your mouth and a lingering sense of crystalline permanence in your mind.

And then you realise that everyone you know, every one, is dead.