Afternoon Strike

I trotted over to the base of the outdoor planter box, where a smooth, dark roasted coffee bean had tumbled onto the flagstones. It smelled warmly toasted and rolled with a delightful, lopsided wobble. Spotting three clean wooden toothpicks resting beside a discarded paper sleeve nearby, I knew exactly what sport the afternoon called for. I pressed the toothpicks upright in a tight triangle into the mossy mortar between two bricks to make the pins. Crouching low with a click of my wooden knees, I gave the little bean a firm flick with my palm. Strike! The bean rattled right through the center, knocking all three pins flat with a crisp clatter.