A Stepping Stone

The harsh, aggressive vibration of an old cellphone violently shattered the heavy quiet of the morning. Celia groaned, her exhausted body protesting as she was abruptly awakened from her restless sleep. The battered device was vibrating fiercely on the tiny folding table, the cheap plastic rattling loudly against the wood. She rubbed her bleary, watery eyes, her mind still foggy from the stress of