García Márquez based this technique on how his grandmother told stories, “[telling] things that seem supernatural and fantastic, but she told them with complete naturalness [... ,] with a brick face” (“Gabriel García Márquez” 926). In the story, the narrator speaks in a matter-of-fact tone, making the story more realistic than if the narrator spoke with awe or fascination; the trick García Márquez used was to believe in his own stories and tell them the same way his grandmother did (“Gabriel García Márquez” 926). Another element that contributes to the tone of the story is the way in which mundane moments and extraordinary events blend together, to the point that the wonderful becomes boring. At the beginning of the story, the narrator talks about the “third day of rain” and mentions Pelayo and Elisenda killing many crabs in their own house (García Márquez 928). When the winged man flies away, Elisenda is chopping onions for lunch (García Márquez 932). At this moment, Elisenda has become so accustomed to the old man's presence that she “breathes a sigh of relief” when he flies away, no longer being “a nuisance in her life” (García Márquez 932). Although the angel was seen as an extraordinary creature when Pelayo discovered him, he soon came to be seen as a normal part of the city and even became a burden in Elisenda's eyes. Working with the