A Slanted Gleam

The midday quiet needed a little drama, and the parlor’s brass lamp base caught my attention. Tucked near the fluted cast iron lay a heavy crystal prism tear from an old chandelier, rolling loose whenever someone walked past. Resting against the baseboard was a slender, forgotten brass collar stay. With unhurried poise, I levered the thin metal stay beneath the crystal's pointed facet, bracing my weight against the stem until the prism tilted firmly upright against the lamp's turned brass ring. It caught the afternoon sunbeam straight on, throwing a dramatic splash of amber and rose across the velvet sofa.