A Step on the Studs

The air here was completely still, framed by the broad yellow petals rising above my shoulders. I paused, surveying the grid beneath my boots before testing my weight. My joints yielded without a sound. I lifted my right foot from the beige studs and set it down one space forward. Next to me, a broad green leaf caught the ambient light; I raised a hand, brushing its smooth plastic edge. It held firm, exactly where it belonged. Everything here seems deliberate.