Shadow and Edge

The morning sun cut sharp across the courtyard, throwing the stone pedestal into high relief. A heavy bronze equatorial sundial was anchored to the limestone plinth, but its adjustable latitude arc had slipped a few degrees off-true, bound by an oxidized thumbscrew. I stepped onto the cool stone rim, taking a moment to calculate the offset against the morning azimuth. Slipping one gold-tipped claw into the knurled notch of the clamp, I applied a steady upward torque until the brass collar yielded with a dry rasp. A light tap of my heel nudged the arc back to true center before I cinched the fastener tight. The gnomon’s razor shadow split the numeral IX dead center. Clean alignment.