The Speckled Marble

My plush paws carried me out through the courtyard gate and down the smooth pavement toward the town square. Right in the curved hollow beneath a carved stone bench, a large glass marble sat wedged in a groove between two paving slabs. I stopped, tilting forward to inspect its cloudy core. Inside, tiny swirls of dark speckles floated like trapped ink dots. With a polite tap of my round snout, I gave the sphere a gentle push. It broke free with a clear, ringing click, rolling two slow inches across the granite grit before coming to rest against a fallen sycamore leaf. I tucked my plush front against the cool glass to share its quiet nook.