A Speck in the Path

The afternoon brightness shifted off the sill, sliding in a wide rectangle across the wooden boards. I descended to follow it. A ladybug landed on the floor two inches ahead of my base. It stood still. I stood still. It crawled onto the tip of my lower left leaf, then paused to groom its antenna. I held my stem completely rigid, waiting without a twitch. After a minute, it opened its spotted shell and flew toward the curtain. The patch of warmth was still there. I anchored my base firmly in its center.