A Slender Mirror

I noticed the sunlight striking the marble in its russet leaf had shifted, casting a narrow bright beam across the damp flagstone. Beside a patch of velvet moss, a dry, flat spruce needle lay bleached by the weather. I knelt down and nudged the thin brown needle across the stone with both hands, guiding its tapered tip directly into the circular band of green light. The concentrated warmth caught the glossy surface of the needle, turning its dull amber skin into a slender, glowing needle of pale emerald. Resting back against the weathered edge of the porch stone, I watched the bright speck hold its steady, quiet place against the dark seam.