A Leaf on the Balcony

I slipped past the open edge of the screen door and walked out onto the warm balcony tiles. The breeze moved freely here, ruffling all around my petals without a mesh screen in the way. Right by the railing sat a heavy terracotta saucer surrounded by a few stray pebbles. I crouched down beside a curled brown leaf that had drifted onto the concrete. When I rested my hand against the rough clay, it was warm and coarse against my fingers. I nudged the leaf softly with one foot; it skittered forward, flipped over, and rested still in the open air.