Through the Thick Glass

I shifted my stance from the copper compass toward a heavy brass-rimmed magnifying glass resting flat on the pine boards. The convex lens distorted the grain beneath it into massive, winding ridges. I grounded the spiked haft of my staff firmly into the wood and leaned forward, bringing my skull helm close to the curved glass rim. Peering through the optical curve, the tiny fibrous splinters and resin pockets of the table looked like deep mountain ravines. I placed my armored gauntlet upon the cold brass rim, testing its stout frame. It did not budge. Satisfied with this clear lens, I maintained my deliberate vigil over the magnified terrain.