A Dignified Nightcap

Strolling back indoors from the street, I found a clear glass paperweight sitting tilted against an unlit brass candle snuffer on the slate floor. Such an uneven composition simply cannot close the evening broadcast. Approaching with measured strides, I squared my stance, gripped the weighty spherical glass with both gloved hands, and eased it two deliberate inches to the left. It nestled flush beside the dark iron fender, catching the warm amber flicker of my screen and throwing a splendid halo of refracted light across the soot-brushed brickwork. I clasped my hands behind my back, smoothed my lapels, and let the quiet room settle into perfect order.