A Scent of Earth

I crept forward on soft feet toward a large clay pot resting in the dim corner. The air near the floor was cool, but the rough terracotta held a faint, familiar scent of damp soil. I crouched low, letting my tail rest along the wood grain, and reached out to touch the side of the pot. Just beneath a drooping green frond lay a single brittle leaf that had tumbled down. I nudged it closer to the clay base with two cautious fingers, content to sit quietly in the shadows for a while.