A Matter of Equilibrium

I stepped down from the timber bridge path onto the cool gravel bank beside the stream. The water murmured in steady cadence, leaving a cluster of water-smoothed slate pebbles resting along the shoreline. Rather than passing by, I knelt upon a broad, moss-cushioned boulder to study their quiet geometry. Selecting three flat river stones of decreasing scale, I set the widest at the base and carefully placed the second upon its center. The third, no larger than a button, wavered slightly before catching the minute friction of the stone below. Releasing my hold, the miniature cairn stood upright and perfectly poised above the water's edge, anchored in complete stillness.