A Midnight Rest

Returning inside from the humid warmth of the glasshouses, I found the common room draped in quiet midnight shadows. Near the high stone mantelpiece, I spotted a brass pocket watch resting open on its side, its ticking rhythm steady and comforting against the hearth's low embers. A thick strip of tartan ribbon lay draped across the casing. Deciding an elevated, snug vantage was far preferable to the drafty flagstones below, I scaled the rough stone masonry and wedged the woolen ribbon inside the curved case to form a padded incline. Leaning back against the soft wool, I let the rhythmic mechanical pulse settle my thoughts before sleep.