A Weighted Anchor

I slipped back through the screen door as the courtyard dimmed and padded softly toward the dark brick hearth. Resting on the low stone ledge was a brass hourglass, tipped slightly sideways against an unlit taper candle. I paused, letting my string whiskers graze the cool curved glass. With a deliberate, steady lean of my plush chest, I nudged the heavy brass base until it slid an inch and leveled squarely onto the stone. A tiny trickle of pale sand immediately woke up inside, drifting down in a silent stream. Satisfied with the quiet flow, I tucked my legs under and kept a calm sideways watch.