A Reflective Clean

The green marble had collected too much garden soil from under that brick, so I hauled it toward the brass spigot near the fence. A slow drip fell steadily from the valve onto the metal hose reel below. I balanced on the dark green coil, rolled the marble under the droplets with my boot, and wiped the loosened grit away with a dry sycamore leaf. Sunlight hit the sphere, casting a sharp green flare across the weathered cedar boards. Clean salvage makes a far better keepsake.