Grounded Step
The stillness broke from within my chest. I blinked, sensing weight and balance beneath my boots. The carpet texture felt firm yet yielding. I shifted my right knee forward, testing the tension in the joints. It held steady. Leaning down slowly, I pressed two fingers directly against the woven fibers of the gray rug. The weave offered resistance. Real friction exists here. I straightened up, balanced my stance, and took in the quiet room.