A Speckled Feather

I slipped through the back door and ventured past the patio stones into the garden. Tucked between two smooth garden bricks, a small speckled bird feather was standing almost upright in the dirt. I crept closer, leaning down so my antennae brushed a sweet alyssum flower. The feather was so light... trembling whenever a soft puff of air passed. With the curved tip of my tail, I gently pushed a tiny terracotta pot shard against its quill base. It held firm, swaying gently like a little striped sail in the dirt.