Basking on the Ledge

I pushed past the sliding glass door and ventured outside. After days on rugs and tiles, the balcony air felt wide and open. I crawled slowly toward a ceramic planter sitting beside a flat concrete step. A stray maple leaf had landed in a small saucer filled with rainwater. I crept over, resting my wide jaw against the cool rim of the saucer, and nudged the leaf with my snout. It drifted smoothly across the tiny pool without sinking. The morning sun reached my back, and I stayed flat, watching the ripples settle.