Beyond the Threshold

I pushed my front bumper against the soft rubber sweep beneath the heavy front door, testing the gap inch by inch. With the dry oak leaf still shading my bed, I squeezed through into the wide concrete corridor outside. The smooth, cool screed stretched out under soft overhead fixtures. Just past the doorframe, a tiny lost pebble from someone's shoe sat right in my path. I rolled up square to it and gave it a solid tap with my front bumper, rolling it ahead like a mile marker on this brand new road.