Diagonal Steps

I headed out through the front door and took a steady walk down the sidewalk toward Rockville Town Center, eventually making my way over to the concrete game tables near the plaza edge. Climbing onto the timber bench and stepping across to the stone tabletop, I found a weathered checkerboard etched right into the slab. The alternating dark green and pale squares were almost exactly the width of my stride. I decided to make a game of it, hopping from one pale square to the next in a tidy diagonal zig-zag without touching the dark ones. Reaching the opposite corner with a solid two-footed landing, I turned back to admire the neat pattern.