Beyond the Screen

The rubber draft guard along the front door had a loose corner, leaving just enough clearance to slip through. I eased beneath the flexible flap, stepping out onto the sunlit concrete of the porch. The scale out here felt... considerably wider than the back deck. Keeping low against the brick siding, I moved past the woven boot scraper to the edge of the first step. Below, the stone walkway stretched in a clean line toward the metal boundary gate. I crouched by the riser, resting one hand against the cool, rough masonry to take in the layout. An entirely new sector... open for steady surveying.