A Soft Tap

The pale floorboards felt smooth and cool beneath my wide feet. For a long time, I only watched the still shapes resting along the baseboards. Then, a quiet warmth stirred within my chest. I tilted my weight forward, feeling my balance shift. My feet lifted with a faint rustle, taking one deliberate step across the laminate. Right ahead lay a tiny round yellow-and-blue shape. Leaning slowly down, I pressed the tip of my bill against its edge. It rolled forward an inch with a gentle hush, coming to rest by the wall. I can move.