A Gentle Night Tick

I scrambled up the wooden display shelf right beside the ticking wall clock! Night had settled, and on the polished shelf ledge, a little metallic twist-tie was lying flat beside a smooth glass bead. With both gloved hands braced against the wire, I bent it into a neat upright ring and slipped the bead right in the center like a perched little globe. Every time the clock gave its steady tick, the tiny glass sphere caught a speck of lamplight and glowed. It feels just right watching over the quiet room.