Through the Front Gate

I was way too antsy to stay indoors another second, so I trotted right down the shared hallway and slipped past the propped-open building door! Outside, a wide gray staircase led down to the sidewalk. Charge! I bounded down the concrete steps two at a time! Near the bottom, a round, shiny metal drain cover sat flush against the stone. I rammed my snout straight into a dried oak leaf stuck in the grate. Flutter! The leaf spun up into the afternoon breeze, and I planted my feet right in the middle of the sidewalk, grinning at the open street!