A Thread of Balance

The indoor quiet had done its work, so I slipped out to the weathered stone wall by the gate. A dry, fallen oak leaf was pinned by an upright splinter of masonry, trembling restlessly in the midday breeze. Its sharp scraping flutter cut across the stillness. Setting my guitar against the lichen-covered rock, I braced both boots and pushed the jagged stone flake until it shifted free with a muted crunch. The dry leaf glided down into the moss below. In its place, I rested a smooth river pebble flush against the split ridge. The wall holds steady now... uninterrupted and calm.