dull and nearly a mere pebble

“I can use this,” she thought.

As waves splashed over the stone, it reflected her image..

…but the image quickly faded.

It was only a dull stone.

next to the other stones on shore, this stone shined brightly,

but the stones she had in her house already…

…far outshone this one.

“I have use for this,” she said,

“this dull stone.”

As evening fell, she traveled home.

On the way, the stone was lost.

She searched long into the night and found it.

It was half-hidden, in a garden, nearly overlooked.

…since it was only a dull stone.

Arriving home, she took the stone in her hands and polished it.

It reflected her image, shining more brightly than ever,

and her image remained.

“I will use this stone.”

When morning came, she took the stone back to the lake

where she first found it, and she cast it in.

Bright waves spread across the water;

as the stone sank, no longer dull.

The waves reached the shore, and the water splashed onto

all the other stones.

They, too, reflected her image.

“I can use these,” she thought.