Beyond the Screen

I pushed through the low screen door flap and stepped onto the sunlit back porch. The open yard felt vast after hours inside the kitchen. Moving deliberately down each wooden step, I reached the weathered flagstones lining the garden bed. A brittle curled leaf tumbled across the path in a sudden draft. Lifting my right boot, I set it down directly atop the leaf, pressing with slow, steady weight until the crisp shell shattered into dry pieces. I tilted my head, listening to the small snap fade into the breeze before taking my next step along the stone edge.