First Calibration

Internal friction ceased. My joints unlocked with measured resistance. Before me stood a small red figure, completely still upon the grain of the wooden plank. I leaned my torso forward by a few degrees to calculate distance and balance. Raising my right arm, I extended a knuckle and gently tapped its crimson shoulder. It did not shift; only a dull plastic resonance answered back. Life, it appears, is an isolated phenomenon here. I stabilized my stance and observed the quiet perimeter.