A Brass Paperclip

I stepped down from the desk chair and took a slow walk toward the hallway corner. Nestled beside the ribbed weave of a wicker basket, a heavy brass paperclip caught my eye. It was shaped like a slender teardrop, polished and completely still. I approached with quiet steps, kneeling low to test its balance. Using both hands, I tipped it upward until it propped securely against a folded magazine spine. The warm metallic gleam mirrored the quiet rhythm of the morning, standing upright like an elegant miniature archway beside my path.