Talisman
An object carried on their person or kept nearby — to be contemplated, fondled, and consulted.
Death Mask
Nabokov wrote a poem about her. Rilke mentioned her in his only novel.
Gold Braces
I started flashing my teeth like a cheerleader in a yearbook headshot.
Pince-Nez
“Wow — that’s the most pretentious thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Pinky Ring
I started to look for artefacts to root me to a certain time or place.