Yesterday the bricks and paint and asbestos started falling, flaking and flying as demolition began on the Green Wall in downtown Durham.

By the end of the day, one of the fish was losing its tail.

I circled to the storefront facing Main Street because I knew an old upright piano had been stored in there. I wondered if anyone had hauled it out or if it would be consumed by the jaws of the excavator. I shot the photo very quickly—from the public sidewalk—because as I did so, one of the construction workers immediately got on the phone, and moments later plastic sheeting was being hung inside the windows so no one could see in. Even though the photo is blurry, I’m fortunate to have captured the moments before the piano bit the literal dust.