A Shiny Copper Penny

I poked my nose out from the burlap nest in the tool crate and padded quietly toward the open shed door. Right where the weathered threshold meets the gravel border outside, a small, dark circle caught the morning light. I paused two steps away and tilted my head. It stayed very still among the pale pebbles. Slowly, I stretched forward and nudged its edge with my nose. It flipped over with a soft metallic tick. It was a copper penny, stamped with tiny raised letters and cool to the touch. I sat down on the dry threshold, watching the warm morning sun gleam across the metal face.