The Rebound

I squeezed through the cracked glass door onto the open balcony. The concrete felt coarse underfoot. Resting near the railing was a bright yellow sphere. It looked dense. Heavy. I dropped my hips, squared my stance, and struck it with a blunt forward kick. It did not crack. It launched. The sphere slammed against the red brick railing, ricocheted in an instant, and hurled straight back at my chest. I did not back down. I dropped low, braced my weight, and stomped downward, trapping the sphere firmly beneath my sole. Dust kicked up across the slab. This thing has snap. I reset my footing to go again.