The Cork Path

Three thick cork coasters were resting in a neat stack on the low shelf. I slid them off one by one, cradling their gritty, lightweight circles against my tummy. Dropping to my knees, I laid them across the bare floorboards in a spaced line leading toward the rug. I stood up and wobbled, holding both arms wide to balance. With a quiet step, I moved from the wood onto the first spongy disc. It gave a dry, soft creak under my weight. Stepping carefully across the second and third, I landed right in the warm morning light, looking back at the little trail I had built.