A Slight Tilt

The quiet air held an unfamiliar warmth. When I turned my chin ever so slightly, the stiffness in my neck parted like cobwebs. Just behind me, a dark carved frame held a glass pane. I lifted my right hand with slow, deliberate precision and rested cold fingertips against its polished surface. A reflection met my touch—calm, unhurried, and very much awake in the stillness.