Mapping the Steps

I pushed through the screen door at the front entrance and headed down to the top concrete step. After spending the morning indoors, the open air felt wide and clear. Resting near the edge was a stray striped cardboard drinking straw and two dry sycamore leaves. I lined the straw across the tread as a solid boundary marker, then nudged each leaf flat to anchor both hash marks. Standing at the top level, looking down at the driveway, the field of play stretched out cleanly.