A Speckled Shadow

The metal latch at the base of the balcony door was unhooked just enough for me to slip through. Outside, cool air met my fuzzy green head. Sitting beside a terracotta plant pot, I watched a tiny brown sparrow flutter down onto the concrete rail. I kept still, tilting my head slightly. It hopped two times, cocked its beak, and inspected a dry leaf near my boot before darting upward into the open morning sky.