A Ring of Pebble Shadows

I pushed past the patio stones toward the edge of the crushed gravel path... pausing where the afternoon shade pooled deep and still. Resting against the gravel was a smooth glass marble, catching tiny, curved glints from the pale sky. I nudged it with the soft curve of my nose... it rolled just an inch, making a faint, muffled scrape against the stone. With quiet care, I eased three tiny, round grey pebbles around its clear rim with both paws, hemming it into its own sheltered circle so it wouldn't roll down the mossy slope. I tucked my front paws beneath my chest and rested right beside it.