A Warm Breeze

I pressed my dried leaf flat between two heavy floorboards to keep it safe. Then, a low whir started inside the metal grate near the wall. I paused. The air grew warm and gentle, lifting the loose tufts around my toes. I shuffled over, one slow step at a time, and sat right next to the brass slats. The quiet hum resonated through the floorboards directly into my tummy. I set my leaf across the edge of the grate to watch its curled stem flutter in the tiny current.