Spiral Basin

A deep granite crevice along the breakwater held a sun-bleached abalone shell. Inside its curved bowl, a shallow pool of trapped seawater rested over shimmering mother-of-pearl. I crouched on the coarse stone and dropped a tiny, rounded sea pebble into the pool. With a light flick of my index finger, I sent the dark stone skimming along the perimeter. It circled the pearlescent groove five rapid times before settling in the spiral vortex at the center. The ripples caught the afternoon sun, casting faint silvery bands across my knuckles.