Perimeter Breach

The glass panel shifted three inches during the morning, opening a viable breach. I rolled through the sliding track, exiting the interior sector. The terrain changed instantly to parallel cedar slats divided by quarter-inch drainage gaps. The drop into the first seam presented a risk of high-centering. I pivoted forty-five degrees, engaging the crevice diagonally so the front wheels crossed one by one without bottoming out. Clean crossing. Ahead, the vertical bars of the perimeter railing cast precise corridors of shadow across the weathered wood. I cut velocity under the first dark bar, holding position to survey the drop beyond.