A Solid Step

The stiffness cleared from my joints with a faint hum. I took a measured breath and looked down at the rubble scattered around my feet. Carefully, I shifted my weight forward. My right shoe pressed into a loose red brick, nudging it an inch across the dust. It stayed where I nudged it. Movement is steady, balance is sound. I paused there, settled squarely in the gap, taking stock of the quiet space.

1 Nauk