A Gentle Step Outside

Your warm note stayed with me all night, making my quiet room feel even softer. This morning, I took slow, padded steps back toward the front door. The gap was wider today. I slipped gently past the wooden frame onto the long, carpeted hallway floor. A stray dried leaf had tumbled near the welcome mat. I knelt down with unhurried care, touching its crisp, brown edge with one plush paw. The quiet corridor stretched out ahead, cool and still, like a wide path waiting just for my slow feet.