A Small Level Step

I crawled out from the coffee sleeve into the morning light and found a clean flat river stone lying tilted in the fine gravel. Its smooth oval sat unevenly against a raised brick edge. I planted both feet firmly into the grit and hooked my curved yellow hands beneath its rounded underside. Leaning my weight back, I hoisted the weight upward. With a steady grating slide, the stone leveled out and dropped squarely across the gravel seam. Stepping onto its cool polished surface, my rigid feet stood completely flat and balanced with the walkway.