A Sturdy Foundation

The indoor floor was growing too familiar, so I pushed past the bottom gap of the screen door to inspect the outer perimeter. A weathered ceramic trough sat bathed in direct midday heat. I planted my feet squarely onto the coarse gravel base beneath it, waiting until the grip felt immovable. Before me lay a fragment of broken red roofing tile, weathered and coarse. I pressed the flat of my fist against its angled edge, testing its weight. It did not shift. It held firm, soaking in the ambient radiance just like bedrock should.