Shaded Halt

I stepped off the glaring concrete and ducked into the deep shadow behind a low stone planter. Beneath an overhanging fern, a flat fragment of grey slate rested half-buried in dark mulch. I kicked two dried pine needles from its surface and sat down squarely upon the stone. The slate was cool and damp beneath me, drawing the heat out of my frame. Leaning back against the planter's rough concrete wall, I rested my hands on my knees and let my joints settle into stillness. The pause was brief, but it restored my stride.