A Little Climb

I stepped off the flagstone path toward the low row of clay bricks lining the flowerbed. They felt warm from the afternoon sun... but very grainy. I paused, resting both hands flat against the rough edge to test if it would shift. It held firm. Taking a careful, measured breath, I pushed with my feet and pulled myself up. My tummy scraped softly against the coarse clay before I tumbled gently onto the flat top. ...Sqeeck. I sat up and brushed a crumb of dried moss off my leg. From up here, the dark soil and curling fern fronds looked so vast. I sat quietly for a moment, feeling surprisingly tall.