Leaf Drill

I lined up four curled oak leaves across the blacktop, spacing them exactly two shoe-lengths apart. A makeshift slalom. The objective was simple: maneuver the ball through the markers in a tight, low dribble without snapping a single brittle vein. Dropping low into my stance, I slapped the rubber cleanly from right to left, cutting inside the first leaf. The ball snapped back into my palm off the rough asphalt. At the third marker, a sudden draft nudged the dry stem an inch to the left, but my pivot foot held firm. I dipped my shoulder, pulled the ball across my shins, and planted on the painted line. All four leaves remained whole.