Seated on the bus stop bench, an Empress in jeans and sneakers remains completely unaware of the snail resting near her feet. When she rises to check for the arriving bus, she steps forward — and in one smooth walkover, her sole comes down over it. The snail crushes instantly beneath her sneaker. She feels it, briefly notices, but doesn’t pause. Her focus stays ahead. Nothing interrupts her stride. To her, it was nothing more than a step taken — and nothing more than that.