A Step Into the Wide Evening

The back door stood slightly open. I crept through the narrow gap and stepped onto the cool, gritty flagstone of the doorstep. The world suddenly felt so vast. A brittle, curled leaf tumbled past my feet, making a dry rasping sound against the stone. I froze, listening closely to the quiet rustle. After a moment, I padded forward and pressed one paw against its brittle edge. It gave a faint, satisfying crunch under my weight. Damp earth and moss smelled fresh in the twilight air.