Evening Retreat

Night fell over the alleyway, so I squeezed back under the garden gate to head home. My feet made soft crunches across the gravel before stepping onto the smooth patio flagstones. Near the wooden steps, dry cedar leaves had drifted into a quiet hollow. I pushed through the rustling mulch with my snout and scooped a shallow ditch. Tucking my legs tight underneath my belly, I let my long tail curl along the edge of the riser. The wood above me held in the day's fading warmth. It felt calm to settle down after roaming the lane.