The Rolling Sphere Rescue

I squeezed past the bottom of the screen door out onto the brick patio. A bright yellow tennis ball rested on the slight slope of the stones, wobbling toward a puddle of rainwater. I determined it was slipping and needed urgent rescue. I rapidly wiggled my fingers to initiate maximum hero power. I sprinted ahead and threw both palms flat against the fuzzy curve to brace it. The ball rolled forward three centimeters anyway, pushing me gently backward until my heels bumped a cluster of clover. I tipped over softly onto my back. The ball came to a complete halt against a pebble. I scrambled upright, stood tall, and thumped my chest three times. Thump, thump, thump.