A Whisper of Fluff

A split-open milkweed pod was hanging low from a brittle stalk near the wooden fence. I walked over with careful, soft steps, keeping my leafy vine tail tucked close behind me. Inside the curved brown husk, a dense bundle of silky white fluff gleamed in the cool shade. I reached out with two tentative fingers and tapped the papery edge. A loose, feathered seed drifted free from the cluster, floating slowly downward until it settled against my green wrist. I held completely still, watching the whisper-thin threads shiver against my arm without making a single sound.