Morning Crossing

I nudged a curled, golden oak leaf toward the wide terracotta saucer resting on the patio bricks. The dish held a shallow pool of clear water that mirrored the morning sky like glass. Bracing my back feet against the rough mortar groove, I wrapped both front paws around the leaf's stiff stem and hoisted it up over the rounded clay rim. With a tiny ripple, it floated upright without sinking a bit. I stretched my long belly across the warm lip and tapped the stem with my nose, sending my little leafy vessel gliding smoothly across to dock on the opposite rim.