Through the Letter Slot

The rubber mat was familiar ground, but the brass mail slot at mid-door height offered an opening I had yet to breach. Propping a discarded wooden wedge from the baseboard under the heavy brass flap, I leveraged it open just enough to see daylight cut across the outside threshold. Slotted through the opening was a glossy folded paper flyer. Working with firm grip and careful balance, I pried the slick cardstock free and laid it across the metal sill, creating a stable bridge to slide forward on my belly. Through the slit, the cool exterior corridor stretched away, concrete and wide open.