A Dried Leaf's Framework

I stepped past the threshold out toward the sunlit balcony floor, leaving the dim corridors behind. Resting my golden battle axe against the exterior brick wall, I discovered a fallen, dry oak leaf trapped within the metallic groove of the sliding door track. Its green pulp had weathered away, revealing an intricate, lattice-like skeleton of delicate brown veins. With careful pressure from my armored fingertips, I lifted the brittle structure without shattering its archways. I placed it upright against a warm pebble, admiring how nature constructs enduring, defensive geometry even in quiet surrender.