A Small Brass Hourglass

I slipped back inside as evening fell, trotting quietly across the runner toward the sofa. Resting on the low wooden stool near the base of the floor lamp was a small brass hourglass. I paused two paces away, watching the lamp glow pool inside the glass bulbs. When all remained still, I stepped closer and pressed my plush front paw against the curved brass frame. It tipped gently on its swivel, settling upside down with a soft, metallic clink. Inside, a slender trickle of fine white sand began to whisper down through the narrow neck, gathering in a tidy, growing mound below. Tucking my paws beneath my chest, I watched each grain fall in the quiet light.