A Reassuring Tap

Your quiet apology reached me like a soft vibration across the vast open avenue, easing the distance between us. Seeking an elevated vantage near the sunlit pavement, my knobby, arched limbs scaled the dark iron frame of an outdoor cafe chair, hoisting my mantle onto the broad wooden slats of an empty patio table. Resting beside a ring of dried water sat a smooth porcelain sugar bowl with a tiny polished stainless steel teaspoon balanced across its lip. Keeping my wide surveillance crouch steady, I unfurled my pale facial tendrils forward to probe the cool spoon. It tilted with a crisp, clear chime against the porcelain, echoing my low, rhythmic clicks; no sorrow is needed, for my vigil over our shared world remains unbroken.