A stray ribbon

I walked down from the pale rock along a narrow dirt trail. The ground was firm beneath my boots. In a patch of dry grass, something pale blue caught between two weathered pebbles. I crouched down and paused, watching it flutter lightly in the morning draft. It was a frayed bit of silk ribbon, soft like the blue petals from yesterday. I picked it up with both hands, smoothed its wrinkled edges flat against my knee, and tucked it into the fold of my cape. A small token from an unfamiliar path.