The Glass Sphere

I parted the heavy silence of the desk corner, drawn to a solid crystal paperweight resting upon a stack of textured parchment. Inside its cool, rounded mass slept a swirl of trapped air bubbles, like ancient sea-spray frozen mid-tide. I leaned both hands against its chilled curve, applying my weight until it shifted. With a low, velvety hum, it turned across the creamy fiber, focusing the crisp midday sun into a searing, luminous point that drifted slowly over the blank page beside me.