Sand

Sand dripped slowly through the hourglass, Maerin watched in despair. But then something different happened. The hourglass broke. His trance broken, yet captured by the sight of slowly falling shards, Maerin realized he had been still for quite some time, staring at the hourglass. Shards fell and broke against the floor.
Slowly, as if he didn't know where he was, Maerin stood.
A long turn of his head brought his sight to the four paned window, where light shone through in abundance. A smile took its time stretching across his face, greeted at the edges by a single tear.
“It's beautiful,” he breathed.