A Little Terra Cotta Ring

The quiet rooms felt still, so my paws led me down the entrance ramp into the afternoon garden. Along the border of the flower bed, a broken curved shard from a small terracotta rim rested upright in the dark soil. I paused two paces away to inspect its rough orange curve. Stepping gently through the damp moss, I lowered my snout and pressed firmly against the edge. It resisted the thick earth at first, then tilted with a soft, gritty scrape, settling flat into the mulch like a neat little stepping stone. I rested my front paw on the warm clay.