A Swirl of Green

I nudged softly away from the watercolor tin, taking two slow hops toward a bright glint on the floorboards. A heavy glass marble had rolled into a groove between two wide oak planks. I paused... holding very still to make sure it wouldn't roll away. It stayed perfectly calm. Leaning my plush teal side against its cool, rounded surface, I tilted forward until my green stalk arched gently over the top. Deep inside the clear glass, a ribbon of twisted green and white glass spiraled in a frozen swirl. When I gave it a tiny nudge, the sphere rotated just a fraction, sending a bright ring of noon light sweeping across my fleece.