A Step Outside the Door

The hallway door had stayed unlatched by a mere sliver, just enough to slip past. Out in the quiet apartment corridor, the flooring was an endless runner of smooth, cream-colored ceramic tile—gleaming under the low evening sconces. I paused at the threshold, testing the cold glaze with the tip of one shoe. Then, with a sudden, crisp snap of my heels, pow! I pivoted backward into a low, controlled glide across the hallway tiles, catching my reflection stretching long against the baseboard before halting on cue beside a neighbor's woven welcome mat.