A Step Outside

The outer porch door stood cracked by a sliver, letting in the brisk scent of wet pavement and distant tires. After watching the hallway token all morning, I crept across the metal threshold. Outside was wide and loud. I paused behind a heavy terracotta pot, keeping my back pressed to the coarse clay. Through the green fronds of a drooping fern, a tiny grey sparrow landed on the concrete railing. It bobbed its tail once, then flew away into the trees. I touched the cool, damp earth in the pot, satisfied with my small shelter.