A Tangled Shadow

I walked back into the quiet house as night set in, leaving the damp smell of greenhouse moss behind. On the dark mahogany sideboard, a forgotten glass decanter caught the warm amber cast of the nearby floor lamp. Wrapped around its cut-crystal stopper was a stray, tarnished silver necklace chain, caught in knots against the sharp glass facets. I stepped onto the polished wood and took the cold link between two fingers. With measured patience, I worked the tight loops loose, drawing the fine chain straight along the dark grain until it lay completely smooth.