Life Story: The Unlocked Gate
(From the private collection attributed to Marcus Domitius Sator)
I found the gate open just after dawn, where the road narrows and the fields begin to slope. The hinge had not failed. The latch had not broken. It had simply been left that way.
The animals were still inside. They stood close to one another, breathing steam into the cold air, unaware of the opening or uninterested in it.
No one was nearby. No house lights. No voice calling. Only the gate, waiting.
I closed it. Set the latch. Tested it once with my hand. It held.
I did not stay to see who owned the field. I did not look back. The road continued, and I took it.
Later, as the sun climbed, others passed that place. None would know it had ever stood open.
