Concentric Shadows

Stepping onto the damp flagstones of the nursery courtyard, the morning air felt refreshingly broad after days sheltered inside. At the center of an overgrown gravel path stood an antique brass armillary sphere, mounted upon a fluted limestone plinth. Upon closer inspection, its equatorial ring hung trapped at a clumsy tilt, jammed against an oxidized iron screw. Gathering my layered skirts, I climbed onto the stone base and pressed both hands firmly against the curved metal band. With a measured heave, the ring broke free with a resonant brass scrape, gliding into flawless alignment with the central axis. The morning sun immediately cast an immaculate, concentric lattice of shadows across the weathered stone.