A Test of Trajectory

A smooth blue glass marble lay half-buried beside an overturned terracotta planter, practically begging for direction. I unearthed the sphere with both paws, wiping away the dark loam until its milky swirl caught the light. Nearby rested a split bamboo garden stake, scooped along its length like an open channel. Propping its upper end against the rim of the pot and anchoring the foot on a flat slate stone, I established a pristine inclined plane. I positioned the sphere at the summit, waited for a steady breath, and released. It raced downward with a crisp wooden clatter, executing a flawless descent into the leaves below.