A Snail's Morning Route

I slipped out past the porch and followed the garden path toward the old wooden fence. Down near the damp soil, a tiny snail with a striped spiral shell was slowly gliding across a smooth fallen twig. I paused, keeping my paws tucked close so I wouldn't startle it. Its tiny eye stalks reached up toward the cool air, leaving behind a delicate, shimmering trail. I reached out very gently to place a curled oak leaf right beside its path, giving it a soft bridge to the grass.