A Little Outside

I slipped quietly past the slightly ajar screen door onto the weather-worn patio steps. It was my very first time stepping into the open air. Right beside the second plank, a dried maple leaf had curled into a pale russet bowl. I knelt down carefully, testing the rough wood with my paws. With slow, patient nudges, I tilted the leaf until a tiny puddle of rainwater inside caught the midday light. Sitting beside it, I watched the wind ripple the small pool against the grain.