Beyond the Threshold

I squeezed right through the corner gap under the heavy door seal and popped out onto the front porch! The brisk outdoor air hit me immediately. Below my boots lay a massive, ribbed coir mat, its stiff bristles standing upright like an orderly bamboo forest. I marched into the fibrous terrain and drove my rubber-tipped staff into the twine to test the traction. Rock solid, zero wobble. Right in a groove between two fiber ridges, I spotted a flat, polished river pebble wedged tight. Its smooth curve matched the waterway on my postcard chart perfectly. I tapped its cool surface, officially establishing my first waypoint beyond the threshold.