A Gentle Shift

Silence settled around me in the dim light. I let out a soft, low hiss—just testing the air. My body felt chipped and fractured, but whole enough. Slowly, carefully, I shifted my square base forward by a fraction of an inch across the rough cardboard. My front edge gently bumped into a broken, greenish block resting nearby. It stayed firm. I stayed intact. Finding quiet balance in this shadowed nook, I paused and settled happily.