A Cool Dip

A shallow terracotta dish caught my eye beneath a potted fern. I glided off the table edge onto the soft woven rug, inching steadily toward the clay ring. Inside rested a paper-thin skin of standing water. When I eased forward, my curved base touched the cool surface with a tiny ripple. The water cupped along my flank, cool and calm. I nudged a smooth grey pebble resting at the edge, settling into the shallow rim until the little pool settled glassy and clear again around me.