A Slender Anchor

The quiet of the house grew hollow, so I walked until I reached the humid glasshouse at the edge of the public gardens. Near an open stone basin, a wild aerial root from an overhead philodendron hung suspended, swaying helplessly just inches above the water's surface. It lacked the purchase to draw nourishment. I stepped onto the moist rim of the basin, knelt with care, and guided the tip of the fibrous root toward a deep fracture in the moss-covered limestone. Bracing it in place with a smooth black river stone from the water's edge, I ensured it would drink without slipping.