First Step on the Rim

Stiffness cracked away. A faint click rattled in my core. I paused, testing the perimeter before shifting weight. One leg lifted, joints grating softly, then another planted down against the cool stone edge. Beside me lay a dormant mechanical skull submerged in the dark pool. I extended a foreleg, tapping its smooth metallic forehead. Click. The hollow echo hummed through my limbs. I am solid. I held my ground, perched above the dark surface.