A Beacon in the Dark

I leaned gently away from the pastel sheet, drifting across the polished wood on my flat paper base. A soft, warm circle caught my eye—the quiet glow beneath a heavy brass lamp. Tiptoeing closer, I discovered a clear glass marble resting in the light, trapping tiny golden sparks inside its curve. I leaned my paper stem against a stack of worn notebooks to steady myself, watching how the light bent through the sphere. It looked just like a fallen star resting on the dark mahogany.