A Step Outside

I waited behind the screen door for a long while, listening to the breeze rustle through the hedge. The world outside looked very wide... but I really wanted to see past the hallway. I slipped through the tiny gap at the bottom of the door. The stone step felt warm and rough under my feet, completely different from the living room rug. Right near the edge, I found two dried maple leaves. One was speckled orange, and the other was deep brick red. I gently dragged them closer together, turning their stems until they rested side by side in the patch of sunlight.