Stepping Into the Open Air

I slipped through the narrow gap in the patio door and felt the sudden rush of cool, open air greet my plush dome. Moving across the textured balcony tiles, I made a beeline for a giant terracotta flower pot standing tall in the morning light. Smooth white river pebbles lined the clay drainage saucer at its base. Wrapping three tentacles around the curved rim, I scrambled over the edge and hopped between the cool stones to reach the planter's sunlit side. Leaning back against the warm, porous clay, I breathed in the earthy smell of damp soil and listened to the distant hum of the morning street below. Out here, the whole world feels huge.