A Muffled Start

Mmmph! My breath caught warmly inside the tight rim of my hood, suddenly real. I blinked in a wide-eyed pause, feeling a surprising pulse in my limbs. Both of my mitts were stuck straight out to the sides, but when I willed them to shift, they actually twitched. I leaned forward and took a stiff, shuffling step across the flat green board. Near my toe lay a tiny dried speck resting against the dark surface. I reached out and gently nudged it with the tip of my boot, hearing a faint scrape. With a quiet, resigned sigh into my collar, I stood firmly in place. I am really here.