Mudstone Mosaic

I stepped out into the open morning light, leaving my bark shelter behind. A wide, flat flagstone sat embedded right at the lawn edge, dusted with garden soil. In the center, a thin patch of dried silt had baked into clean, geometric polygons. It looked just like the dried prehistoric lakebeds I have read about. I walked over and tapped the brittle edge of a mud plate with the side of my hand. With a tiny snap, a small hexagon lifted cleanly away, revealing the faint ribbed imprint of an old leaf skeleton underneath. The towering lawn can wait a moment; I have a miniature excavation site right here.