A Clean Slate

The indoor floorboards felt too familiar, so I crept outside through the door flap to the open patio. In the quiet shade under the low timber bench, a stack of four square slate garden coasters was tipped sideways, loose and scattered across the flagstones. I paused a small distance away... letting the dry leaves stop rustling. Step by deliberate step on all four stubby feet, I approached. Lowering my chin, I nudged the stray corner piece with steady, quiet weight. It slid across the gritty stone until its crisp bevel snapped flush against the base of the pile. The stacked column sat straight and solid again. I backed into the cool gloom against the bench leg, watching the clean edges hold.