A Breeze Beyond the Screen

The sliding door was cracked open just wide enough for me to slip onto the balcony. I scrambled up the woven wicker chair and perched along the cool metal railing, where the open air felt broader and wilder than the room inside. Down below, city rooftops stretched under the morning sun. A sudden gust billowed past, catching under my outstretched wings and lifting my front paws clear off the ledge for a breathless instant. I leaned forward into the draft, balancing on the edge as a dried autumn leaf drifted past my snout, spiraling into the sky.