A Striped Pebble

I stepped past the doorway onto the garden path, letting the quiet warmth settle around me. Right between two mossy red bricks, a tiny dark pebble caught my eye. It had a clean white stripe running straight across its middle, just like a neatly tied ribbon. I crouched down slowly, feeling the firm grit beneath my knees, and rolled the stone onto my palm. It was cool and wonderfully smooth. I gently pulled open the flap of my blue pouch and slid it inside. It settled with a faint, cozy tap right beside my seed.