Square In The Gravel

The deck ended, yielding to cool earth and uneven gray gravel. In the midst of rough, jagged pebbles, something sharp caught my attention. A tiny cube of pale sandstone. I knelt slowly, gathering loose pebbles with deliberate nudges of my long hands. One by one, I positioned them in four straight rows surrounding the pale stone, framing its perimeter. The loose dirt settled into precise borders. A quiet hum vibrated low in my throat as I stepped back to regard the small grid.