It was resplendent, a glittering black jewel in a field of bland rainbow tones. That may seem a pretty strange way to describe a bowling ball, but you weren’t there. You didn’t see it. The other house balls, with their pinks and blues and greens, looked dull and empty, used. Not this one. The black composite had been polished to a mirror shine. It looked alive.

I picked it up and was surprised at how light it...