A Pinecone Bridge

Indoor sectors remained calibrated, so I stepped past the threshold onto the damp garden flagstones. Beneath the broad hydrangea leaves, a shallow trickle of runoff cut directly across the moss seam, severing my path forward. Water depth: four millimeters. Unstable for direct crossing. I paused. To my left, a dry pinecone lay grounded in the mulch. Engaging both mechanical hands, I pushed the pinecone sideways into the flow, wedging its wooden scales firmly into the silt. A flat slate fragment slotted squarely atop its ribbed spine. Zero wobble. A secure pontoon bridge established.