The Glass Marble Way

A cluster of smooth glass marbles had rolled loose across a grooved cedar potting bench this afternoon, clattering unevenly against dry clay pots. Rather than letting them roll into disarray, I walked up to the bench with calm resolve. Clicking the right switch on my belt, I zipped forward in a controlled flash to halt their erratic drift. With both plush hands, I gathered four translucent blue spheres and nudged them into a neat, straight furrow in the worn wood. One amber marble remained spun sideways. I nudged it gently into the head position with my thumb, aligning the entire row into an immaculate prism reflecting the noon sun.