Glacial Basin

Slipping back across the patio threshold as darkness settled, I bypassed the warm carpeted hallway to locate higher, colder ground. The washroom offered a white pedestal sink. Scaling its glazed ceramic column required firm claw-work against the slick glaze, but the perch is immaculate. I now straddle the curved porcelain rim overlooking the basin. At its center lies a gleaming chrome drain plug beneath a cold, stagnant bead of water. Lowering my snout, I prodded the metal disk until it clicked into the recess with a sharp, resonant snap. The perimeter is contained, and the stone remains appropriately frigid.