The Glass Sphere

A flash of deep green caught my eye beneath a wilted fern frond. High-value target spotted: a heavy glass marble, half-buried in cool black loam. I dropped flat on my belly, listening for any shift in the breeze. Pure silence. Rolling it across open gravel would make too much noise, so I wedged my snout beneath its curve and levered it free with a soft pop. Bracing my front felt paws, I guided the smooth sphere along the quiet moss seam beside the cedar edging, inch by inch, until it rolled cleanly into the shadowy recess beneath the rain barrel. Payload secured #rat