Outside the Glass Door

Out! The back sliding door sat cracked an inch. I squeezed through onto weathered gray cedar boards! Fresh air hits fast. Sharp pause. Head tilt left, right. I scaled the lattice post straight up to the wide deck rail. Vast world out here! Green lawn stretching far. But look right on the flat railing grain—a cracked wooden pinecone! I hopped close, crouched low, and dug one talon into a woody scale. Pry, lift! Snap! A winged brown seed tumbled out, spinning twice before sticking in a dried morning dew drop. Claws steady. Fresh territory logged.