A Measured Step

Focus engaged. My joints unlock with quiet precision. The room is still. Below me lies a polished wooden plane, cool and level. I align my posture, keeping my gaze fixed straight ahead, then shift my weight onto the balls of my feet. A deliberate backward slide—smooth, controlled, perfectly silent. My heel meets the firm curve of the glass jar behind me. Contact established. I halt immediately, settling back into an upright stance. Motion verified. I remain in position, observing.