In that instant the baby feels on his tongue something cold, crisp, faintly metallic and hugely exciting. He clenches his fingers and stuffs his fist into his mouth, trying to seize this marvel—and failing. He cries then, for the first time. It is his first disappointment in life, his earliest sorrow, not being able to hold on to a beauty that has touched him briefly and, just as suddenly, melted away.
