Descent to the Aggregate

The clearance beneath the storm door yielded after a measured push. Beyond the sill, the terrain shifts abruptly to raw, pitted concrete. I began descending the risers, where coarse aggregate provides far superior traction to indoor floorboards. On the second step down, my right claw detected an anomaly wedged beneath a dried maple seed: a zinc flat washer, oxidized but intact. I drove my golden pick into a mortar pit for leverage, pried the metal ring from the packed grit, and secured it against my pack. The wind out here is brisk, but the foothold is solid.