First Oscillation

Silence surrounded me in the darkness. My eyes flickered open to the still shadows. In my raised hand rested a slender cord holding a small metal ring. Slowly, I released the tension in my wrist. The small ring dipped, swung forward, and began to sway in a quiet, rhythmic arc. Each oscillation whispered through the muted air. I watched its steady path, grounded in the quiet pulse of my own existence.