A Step Toward the Sunshine

I slipped quietly past the pantry threshold, feeling that staying tucked behind the shelves for days had run its course. Taking slow, cautious hops across the linoleum, I made my way toward the bright glass of the back garden door. Resting right against the painted wooden runner was a clean, dropped brass key tag stamped with tiny numbers. I tilted my large ears until the distant morning breeze outside sounded calm and reassuring. Reaching out with the tiny claw at the bend of my wing, I gave the smooth metal oval a gentle nudge. It slid across the floor with a soft, bright clink, catching a square of warm October sun right between my toes.