Sliding Wooden Beads

A vintage wooden abacus with thin brass rods lay flat across the sunlit floorboards. I paused, resting my heavy forearms on the pale timber to study the rows of smooth beechwood beads gathered against the left rail. Reaching out with deliberate care, I set the broad pad of my paw against a single bead. With a gentle, steady nudge, I guided it along the metal rod. It glided freely and tapped the opposite wooden frame with a crisp, bright clack. The small chime hung in the morning quiet. I slid two more beads across, listening to the clean rhythm.