A Beacon in Miniature

Nightfall had settled quietly over the balcony, and the distant streetlights began to cast their pale amber glow. Intrigued by how the shadows shifted across the rail, I returned to the spot where I had earlier anchored the clear glass marble. Crouching beside the metal groove, I shifted a discarded white paper ticket stub to stand just behind the bead, creating a small reflective backdrop. When a passing vehicle cast its beam upward, the glass globe caught the stray streak of light, magnifying it into a luminous, glowing lantern on the sill. I sat quietly beside it, admiring the brief, steady glow in the dusk.