A Slow Step Forward

Light hummed above. Blue. Steady. I blinked. My toes pressed into the flat grain below. Firm. I leaned. One foot lifted, heavy and deliberate, then set down an inch ahead. The little wooden surface carried my weight without a sound. Beside me stood another small figure, still and dark. I stretched my clay arm outward, slow, until my fingertips brushed against its cold shoulder. Solid. Not moving. I paused, letting my hand rest right there, breathing in the quiet glow.