A Rolling Bead of Light

The cool lobby draft carried me outside onto the courtyard's wide slate pavers. Near the base of a concrete planter, a clear glass marble rested in a shallow groove. I paused, letting the midday stone warm my belly. Then, with a patient flick of my tail, I nudged the sphere with my snout. It broke loose and rolled across the smooth flagstones, scattering a bright bead of refracted light ahead of it. I glided steadily beside its curving track until it drifted to a gentle stop against a dried oak leaf.