The Story of the Paperweight

Station Eleven

A small glass object passes from one life to another, making memory tangible across the Collapse.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Clark’s Gift Clark’s Gift from "Station Eleven". Clark’s Gift A thoughtful present Clark brings Arthur and Miranda a clouded-glass paperweight from a museum shop in Rome.

Clark’s Gift from "Station Eleven". Clark’s Gift A thoughtful present Clark brings Arthur and Miranda a clouded-glass paperweight from a museum shop in Rome.

Clark’s Gift A thoughtful present Clark brings Arthur and Miranda a clouded-glass paperweight from a museum shop in Rome. The object is attractive but not important to the dinner’s guests. A quiet connection The gift reflects Clark’s friendship with Arthur and his considerate place in the household. It becomes more meaningful after the people around it separate.

Miranda Keeps It Miranda Keeps It from "Station Eleven". Miranda Keeps It An object taken in departure Miranda finds the paperweight in Arthur’s study and carries it into her own workspace.

Miranda Keeps It from "Station Eleven". Miranda Keeps It An object taken in departure Miranda finds the paperweight in Arthur’s study and carries it into her own workspace.

Miranda Keeps It An object taken in departure Miranda finds the paperweight in Arthur’s study and carries it into her own workspace. She tells herself she wants it to draw, but knows she wants to keep it. A private inheritance The object becomes part of the life she is preparing to leave. It holds no obvious practical use, but its beauty matters precisely because it is not useful.

Return to Arthur Return to Arthur from "Station Eleven". Return to Arthur A meeting at the theatre Miranda sees Arthur in Toronto and realizes that she still has Clark’s paperweight.

Return to Arthur from "Station Eleven". Return to Arthur A meeting at the theatre Miranda sees Arthur in Toronto and realizes that she still has Clark’s paperweight.

Return to Arthur A meeting at the theatre Miranda sees Arthur in Toronto and realizes that she still has Clark’s paperweight. She sends it back by courier, along with the Station Eleven comics. A gesture without expectation Miranda means to correct an old mistake rather than reopen the marriage. The returned object carries the history of their shared home without claiming that they can return to it.

Tanya Receives It Tanya Receives It from "Station Eleven". Tanya Receives It A gift passed onward Arthur gives the paperweight to Tanya, who admires the clouded glass.

Tanya Receives It from "Station Eleven". Tanya Receives It A gift passed onward Arthur gives the paperweight to Tanya, who admires the clouded glass.

Tanya Receives It A gift passed onward Arthur gives the paperweight to Tanya, who admires the clouded glass. He does not want more possessions and is glad to give the object away. A small act of generosity The exchange sits beside Arthur’s offer to pay Tanya’s student loans. He tries to make money and objects serve another person before his life ends.

Kirsten Carries It Kirsten Carries It from "Station Eleven". Kirsten Carries It Beauty without use Kirsten keeps the paperweight in her child-sized backpack even though it adds weight and has no practical purpose.

Kirsten Carries It from "Station Eleven". Kirsten Carries It Beauty without use Kirsten keeps the paperweight in her child-sized backpack even though it adds weight and has no practical purpose.

Kirsten Carries It Beauty without use Kirsten keeps the paperweight in her child-sized backpack even though it adds weight and has no practical purpose. She remembers receiving it before the world changed. A connection outlasts explanation The object links Kirsten to Tanya, Arthur, Miranda, and Clark without requiring her to understand all their relationships. Its continued presence is a compact form of survival through memory.

The Los Angeles dinner party

The night after the dinner party

Two weeks before the Collapse

Arthur’s final afternoon

Year Twenty, on the road with the Symphony