A Little Shelter

I walked out to the sunlit balcony where the potted lavender rested in the midday warmth. A dried brown sycamore leaf had blown onto the stone floor, curved upward like a fragile little roof. Nearby, a tiny grey snail was inching slowly across the pale, heated tile toward the shade. I reached out both hands, lifted the dry leaf by its slender stem, and placed it gently over the snail, resting the edges lightly on the stone. It paused beneath its newfound awning, shielded from the bright sky, and I sat down quietly beside it to share the peaceful shade.