Michael Swanwicks Periodic Table of Science Fiction 50 Sn Tin 118.69The Man With a Clock for a Heart The tin man sighed. He missed Dorothy. He missed Princess Ozma. He missed the Good Witch of theWest. Most of all he missed not having a heart. Oh those were the days Hed tromped the Yellow and Purple and Green Brick Roads of Oz withnever a thought of female beauty. He never serenaded a patchwork girl at midnight in the rainor threatened to kill himself if a girl general didnt give him a kiss. He suffered nary atwang of conscience and not a single sleepless night of desire. He was a great gloriousheartless brute. The wizard had tried to warn him. Just one more thing to get broken hed said. Think howuseful that space inside your chest is for storing lunch spare parts a paperback book. Whygive that up But the tin man hadnt listened. Now he wished he had. His heart had been a clock originally and its ticking was a constantreminder of passing time. Passing time made him think of mortality