One runs towards the door because they’re late to work.

One runs towards the door to escape an ex-boyfriend.

One runs towards the door excited for a new job.

One runs towards the door because the outside frightens them.

One runs towards the door because their father is inside, dying.

Peyton Ellas writes from the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains with abundant rescued animals and thousands of plants. Their work has appeared in Gihon River Review, OnTheBus, Backhome, Turf!, debaser, and elsewhere. They write gardening features for local news media and is the author of “Gardening with California Native Plants: Inland, Foothill, and Central Valley Gardens.