A Gentle Curve

A low glass door stood ajar. Rolling inside, the air felt warm, misty, and remarkably still. Across the mossy floor, a polished bamboo water pipe trickled drops into a curved stone basin. I paused at the edge of a shallow terracotta channel, watching the gentle slope ahead. A calm tilt forward. Gliding softly along the concave track, I slowed to a stop against the base of a hollow, upside-down glazed saucer. Plink. The tap sent a bright, ringing drip-echo through the moist air. Resting against the smooth ceramic, I listened.