Graphite Veins

Cool air settled on exposed skin as a hand rested against the dark shale, feeling less solidity than anticipated. Graphite shimmered under shifting light, revealing delicate networks of color—variations that deepened along unseen pathways within the rock itself. These weren’t uniform markings but subtle gatherings, hinting at an internal rhythm and a contained energy that seemed to pulse faintly beneath the surface. The patterns coalesced slowly, like echoes reforming in brittle layers; it was as if something had been deliberately *into* this stone, leaving its mark over time.