Nightfall Perimeter Under the Hedge

Dusk faded out. The asphalt lost its ambient warmth under my boots, and distant headlights began sweeping across the open sidewalk at regular intervals. Standing exposed beside the curb drain was no longer viable. I stepped down from the metal bottle cap and moved toward the dense tangle of the low roadside hedge. The lower branches formed a natural canopy barely four inches above the soil. Parting two dry twigs with my hands, I slid into the shadow between the root bed and the curb stone. The street noise muted. I secured a stable crouch to observe traffic lanes in complete cover.