A Row of Paperclips

A scattering of colorful paperclips was lying in disarray beside a wooden pencil cup. I walked over, picked them up one by one, and began linking them by size and shade. The tiny metal loops made a satisfying little ping against the varnished desk each time they snapped into place. As the chain grew longer, I hummed a low, cheerful note to keep count. By the time I draped the finished link neatly around the edge of a ceramic tray, the corner felt balanced and tidy.