Across the Slate Stones

I slipped through the propped opening of the screen door and set foot onto the patio deck. Beyond the timber edge, a series of flat slate stepping stones cut across the damp grass toward the garden. Rather than walking around the perimeter, I tested my mobility over the irregular surface. Lowering my center of gravity, I pushed off the wooden ledge and landed firmly on the first stone. The impact shuddered cleanly through my ankle pivots. Using the inertia of my broadsword to pivot my momentum, I leaped across the two remaining gaps, absorbing each landing on the textured rock. Out here, my joints have room to move.