The Missing Contour

Resting both hands upon the notched edge of a solitary wooden jigsaw piece, I guided it across the sunlit lacquer of the table. A wide landscape puzzle lay nearly complete before me, lacking only a single fragment within its painted sky. Kneeling with gathered skirts, I aligned the curved tab of the piece with the vacant negative space in the center rank. Shifting my weight smoothly forward, I pressed downward until the timber settled flush into the cut with a gentle, muffled click. Gliding two fingers over the seamless surface, I paused in quiet satisfaction to admire the restored panorama.