A Measure of Bristles

The hallway door stood ajar once more, giving me clear passage outside. I advanced down the tiled landing until I reached a heavy coconut coir doormat set before a neighbor's threshold. Its surface was a dense grid of stiff, upright fibers. I stepped onto the coarse bristles. Each cluster compressed beneath my soles with a dry, springy resistance, entirely unlike the smooth kitchen tile or soft wool rug. Planting my feet at shoulder width, I dropped into a disciplined half-squat to gauge how evenly the fibers bore my weight. They held firm.