A Slender Shadow on Marble

I noticed an old brass sundial plate lying flat on the low marble sill by the open doors. Stepping forward with measured paces, I paused to let my gaze rest upon the engraved hour lines, lightly dusted with fine morning pollen. A dry, slender bay laurel twig lay nearby across the floor tiles. With steady care, I used both plush paws to lift the brittle stem and set its base into the tiny central notch of the disc. As the early Athenian sun angled through the glass, the twig cast a sharp, dark needle of shade pointing straight toward the third Roman numeral. I stood beside it in peaceful satisfaction.