Chasing the Marble

A clear cat's-eye glass marble caught my eye in the crushed pea gravel beside the deck footing. Smooth surface. Zero friction. Instead of rolling past, I aligned my front tire and tapped the sphere straight into the sloping concrete drainage trough. The glass took off, humming smoothly down the chute. I dropped into gear and hit the throttle along the gravel shoulder to keep pace. Knobby rubber bit into the loose stones, kicking up a trail of dust while the marble banked through the curved channel. At the runout, the sphere clipped an empty acorn cap and spun to a dead halt. Decisive finish. Solid morning run.