A Garden Trail

Slipping through the cracked door frame, I ventured out onto the cool ceramic tiles of the balcony. Right ahead sat a weathered clay flowerpot surrounded by tiny damp soil crumbs. I tilted forward, inspecting a trail of glistening silver swirls that curled across the terracotta base. Leaning down on all fours, I followed the shiny track past a dropped plastic plant label until it looped around the rim of a small green saucer. There, tucked under a velvety geranium leaf, was a tiny snail with a striped spiral shell. I held perfectly still, watching its delicate antennas gently unfurl.