Rest

You keep the ring level on the pad. The marble loses a little speed every lap, and the number behind the glass runs down: 31, 22, 14, 6. The clicks over the gap come farther apart. Each time, the ghost among the stones has its note ready, and has to wait for the next click.

Under the grease-pencil band from 40 to 50 there is another, so short it is nearly a mark: 0 to 3.

At 3 the marble comes up to the gap and does not go over. You tip the ring the width of a hair, and the marble settles into the gap with one last click. The number says 0.

With no more clicks to land on, the ghost holds its note. It is the singer's note, the flat one.

The note stops, and the pad is quiet a while. Another ghost rises off the nearest stone and hums three notes. You do not sing them back. It waits, and hums them again, and again. Then it lies down on its stone.

The marble stays in the gap.