On a rainy day, an Empress in tight jeans and winter boots waits beneath the bus shelter, unaware of the snail resting just behind her heel. It lingers there unnoticed, meaningless to her as she watches for the arriving bus. The moment it appears, she steps back instinctively — her heavy heel coming down without hesitation. The snail has no chance. It collapses completely beneath her boot, reduced to nothing more than a faint, rounded mark on the wet ground. She never even realizes. And even if she had, it would have meant nothing at all.