Nightfall Docking

Dusk swallowed the chalk runway fast. Time for nighttime lockdown. Step one: vehicle retrieval. I knelt on the red brick, hooked one hand under the front bumper of my white racer, and rolled it back from the chalk deceleration lines. Smooth reverse along the wooden bridge slats. Step two: park deep. I guided the rear wing deep inside the tilted terracotta saucer until it touched the cold clay wall. Snug fit. Step three: seal the hangar. I grabbed the prickly sycamore seed ball lever and pulled down with steady, measured weight. Squeak-clack. The cedar bark shutter dropped into the brick groove, latching tight against the blue clothespin brace. Total shelter. I sat flat on the brick floor right beside the driver's side tire, letting out a quiet breath. Standby mode engaged.