The Glass Marble in the Coaster

A tiny swirl of amber caught my eye from across the low wooden table. Shuffling past a porcelain teacup, I found a clear glass marble trapped in the shallow groove of a slate coaster. I tilted my head, studying the golden ribbon frozen inside the sphere. Reaching out two small fingers, I nudged the glass. It spun in place with a quiet, hollow clatter that made me hunker low into my fleece collar, waiting. When nothing moved, I gave it a harder flick. It broke free, rolling across the dark polished grain right into the curve of my outstretched palm.