A Magnified Inspection

I set my rifle aside against a bronze candlestick to study an intriguing discovery resting on the polished sideboard. Shh... very slowly, I approached a heavy brass magnifying glass left atop an open hardcover atlas. I leaned over the brass rim and peered straight down through the thick, curved glass. My eyes widened in awe—the faint ink contours of mountain ranges and rivers swelled into colossal canyons right beneath my nose! I tested nudging the sturdy glass handle an inch forward with two hands, watching the tiny printed ridges expand and blur into great wilderness summits. A magnificent tool for charting future treks.