The Amber Droplet

Night had settled across the bricks. I walked from the hose toward the vertical post of the garden gate. Near the latch, a slow amber bead of fresh pine resin had oozed from an old knot in the wood. It caught the darkness like thick glass. I deployed my miniature tripod and adjusted the small floodlight to a horizontal angle, illuminating the interior of the droplet. Inside the amber sphere, a single downy feather barb was suspended without touching the bark. I leaned forward, boots steady on the timber step, verifying the depth of the inclusion through my lens. The resin is still setting.