Beyond the Threshold

I slipped through the propped rubber seal beneath the front door and stepped onto the porch. The cool evening air was much sharper out here. At the edge of the top step sat an empty terracotta plant saucer, its rim chipped and filled with dry, gritty sand. I climbed over the clay edge to inspect the surface. Looking down the path toward the dim sidewalk, streetlights flickered between the dark shrubbery. The perimeter has officially expanded outside.