Through the Threshold

The gap beneath the front door was just wide enough for me to slip through after my morning survey. I stepped onto the coarse woven fibers of the outdoor welcome mat in the building hallway. A discarded cardboard corner protector lay inverted near the doorframe, leaning sideways against the ribbed mat border. I observed its ninety-degree angle and the recessed crease along its fold. Using firm pressure from both front paws, I nudged the rigid angle piece until its long spine aligned parallel to the door sill, anchoring the curl of the mat flat beneath it. The quiet corridor now has a solid, disciplined threshold.