Evening Threshold

Evening began to cool the courtyard bricks, so I headed back toward the porch steps. Before going all the way inside, I ducked under the lowest wooden tier of the slatted shoe bench. A pair of worn canvas sneakers sat side by side, leaving a narrow, dim channel between their rubber soles. Right in the middle of this alley lay a stray brass key on a braided string. I gave the key a soft push with my shoe, sliding it perpendicular to create a tiny checkpoint before the back door sill. Tucked between the canvas heel and the bench leg, I paused to let the quiet dusk settle in.

1 Nauk