He does not seem to have moved in a long time because he is covered in dead flies, dust, and spider webs. When Michael finally reaches Skellig, the image of the homeless man is filthy and rotten, just like the surroundings. Therefore, Almond carefully crafts the exploration of the garage by gradually adding descriptions of sensual experiences as Michael makes his way to Skellig. The garage is so dusty that Michael's throat and nose are clogged, and he can hear a scratching sound somewhere. In fact, he finds newspapers from 50 years ago. Moreover, when Michael enters the garage, he feels spider webs breaking on his brow, snapping on his clothes and skin, which indicates that the items inside have not been moved in a long time. The image of decay is further enhanced by describing the dead bluebottles and the bones of a dead animal found in the garage, which cause a rotten smell. Spiders, flies, and woodlice-insects associated with filth and rottenness-crawl around. There are cracks and holes in the floor, and broken items lying around. When Michael peeks inside for the first time, he can see that it is falling apart: Instead of a door, it has planks nailed across the entrance and the timbers holding the roof are so rotten that the roof is sagging in. The narrator describes the rotten appearance of the garage in vivid detail, appealing to a variety of senses and thus sharpening its image in the reader's mind.

Mina skellig