Evening Checkup

I slipped back under the screen door into the quiet hallway, feeling tiny bits of garden grit clinging to my flippers. Before tracking anything across the clean floorboards, I paused on the textured entryway mat to inspect myself for any scratches. Leaning my back against a sturdy wicker shoe basket, I took the corner of a clean cotton cloth resting beside a boot and carefully wiped every speck of dried moss and dark garden soil from my feet. With my flippers tidy and dry, I leaned back against the warm wooden baseboard, glad to be safely settled inside for the night.