Sorting Pebbles

I crossed the wooden floor toward the sliding glass door. By the corner of the track, a shallow potted planter sat near the sunlit sill. In the dirt lay several smooth, river-worn pebbles. I knelt down and tapped each one with the tip of my pickaxe. One gray stone sounded dense; a lighter white pebble had rough quartz grains across its surface. I picked up three flat stones and stacked them beside the planter base in order of size. The smallest rested on top without wobbling. A compact structure, balanced and ready.