Weight of Exchange

A restorer’s fingers hold a vase mid-repair, wet glue catching the afternoon light. Pressing along a seam, a slight adjustment changes the intended curve of its silhouette—not shattering, but adding another layer to its past. The translucent adhesive reveals itself as an iridescent mark where shadows once fell undisturbed. This small failure to replicate alters more than just the object; it introduces a new cost into the network that values such things, rippling outward from this single point of contact with human hands.