Glistening, the sun beamed down, my skin burning, despite the layer of protection I had shielded myself with. Beads of sweat dropped from my forehead down to my hands, moist and sticky, my grip loosening. I had trundled the lawn mower down to the turf, an almost losing battle due to the weight of the machine. All I had to do now was pull the cord.

Growling, the lawn mower came to life. Blocking out any other sound, the menacing hum of the mower increased. Inhaling, I began the chore, it was now or never.

Up and down, the blades of grass were sliced. Slivers of greenery disrupted from the whirring metal blades. Faster and faster they span, carving out a clear path of destruction.

Cloudy, my eyes tried to adjust. Sweat leaked from my body, causing my vision to be distorted. I tried to power through, to keep a hold on the weapon I was utilising. One wrong move, one blink too long, everything could go wrong.

Birds squawking, neighbours shouting, sounds that threatened to grasp my focus, to take away my control. Persevering, I reached the halfway point unscathed. I took a deep breath, allowing myself to regain calm, listening to the thrum of the mower.

Onwards. 3/4 of the way through and I encountered a deadly hurdle. Sputtering, the mower came to a halt. Knocking me out of pivot, I almost tripped. My heart rate spiked as I stood over the threshold- life or death- I had almost become the next victim.

To my horror, I discovered what had provoked such a reaction. Instead of its intended job, the mower had decided to scythe a little mouse, who had only just begun his pilgrimage into the outside world. There I stood, motionless, as I reconsidered my actions. Had it been my fault, had I unknowingly steered the mower to commit such a crime?

With that, I decided it was time to let the mower go. Let the grass grow, for it could've been something bigger, something personal, the next time I deemed it time to mow.