Through the Slatted Path

I set out from the desk toward the wide wooden sill where morning sunlight stretched flat and clear. Between two heavy terracotta flowerpots lay a ribbon of empty space, flanked by the dangling cord of a window blind. I measured the opening with a slow tilt of my horned head, then advanced one joint at a time. The cool ceramic wall pressed against my left flank, steady and firm, while my segmented spine flexed to glide beneath the looped cord without catching a single ridge. Settling on the warm, painted wood beyond, my tail coiled in behind me, resting in the pool of quiet light.