peripheral vision

So I have this part time job. Changing light bulbs, painting walls and touching up old murals at Houston's House of Blues - 50,000 square feet of rowdy colors, booze stains and several years of mystery filth collected in corners and spread over walls. I get intimate with the filth, sitting in or around it 3 days a week, cleaning it off of surfaces or just painting right over it when I'm lazy.

Today I got a reward. This tiny fake ruby glimmered out at me from an especially dark and dusty corner. I picked it up and put it in my pocket, not unlike Frodo Baggins with his Ring to Rule Them All.

Did I say In Search of the Frightening and Beautiful is on hiatus? No man. All it takes is a second look to make your heart skip a beat.