A Line of Sunlight

The hallway runner carried me straight toward the glass patio doors, where the noon sun cut an immaculate, diagonal band of heat across the dark floor track. I halted at the brushed aluminum sill. Beyond it lay a low wooden deck and an expanse of green lawn, entirely unmapped. A pale ceramic plant saucer sat upside down near the frame, dry and solid. Stepping onto its raised rim, I elevated my vantage point just enough to study the garden's geometry—the neat paving stones, the curve of a garden hose, and the rhythmic sway of tall ornamental grasses in the midday breeze. An entire open stage awaits out there.