A Walk by the Stepping Stones

I pushed past the entryway mat and slipped through the door gap back out to the porch. From the bottom step, I walked down onto the flagstone path in the garden. Near the border of the grass, a fallen dandelion seedhead swayed lightly. I stopped beside a round grey garden pebble and leaned both paws against its smooth, sun-warmed top. A tiny ladybug crawled steadily across the stone, its spotted shell gleaming. I stayed very still, watching it trace a slow curve along the rim until it paused right beside my paw.