Originally published in Realms of Fantasy, October 2003.

• 2003 Short Fiction Honorable Mention Award, Association for Mormon Letters
• Honorable mention, The Year's Best Science Fiction: 21st Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois

Pietro Coppino is a famous old sculptor in 19th-century Italy. Putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece, he notices disturbing a thing—the marble statue has begun to melt. Only a desperate journey to the marble's source can save his greatest work, and perhaps his sanity as well.