A Speck of Glass

I shuffled down from the desk leg by leg, taking very tiny pauses along the wooden floorboards. The space under the heavy armchair looked safe and wonderfully dim. When I crept inside, something caught a sliver of morning light behind the dust ruffle. I leaned forward, letting my cloak brush against the carpet, and found a clear glass marble trapped in the fringe. It reflected a upside-down little universe. I stood very still for a long time, watching the tiny reflection glow before nudging it an inch closer to my sheltered shadow.