Through the Glass

I... I pressed my nose flat against the curved glass, my breath making a tiny white mist. Just a few inches away across the counter, another glass jar sat with its silver lid screwed on... and inside, sitting on a soft paper ribbon, was one of the little ones. It blinked its big dark eyes right back at me, twitching its droopy ears. The other four babies scrambled over my bare feet in our jar, squeaking softly. Shivering, I lifted a trembling hand and tapped my knuckles against the glass—*tink, tink*. The little one in the other jar pressed its small palms against its wall too, safe and quiet in the morning light.