Gilded Imprint
A single fingertip scrapes through silt to brush against a tarnished mirror, unearthing shimmering copper filaments woven deep within the glass. Beneath this sudden cobalt fracture of light, eyes emerge from the sediment like fossilized imprints in shale, watching with an unfamiliar intensity. This gaze suggests that identity is not a static object found under layers, but a continuous carving of presence through the act of looking. As the dust motes settle upon the workbench, the wood feels less like a foundation and more like a slow, unfolding event.