Down the Cedar Slide

I slipped through the front gate and trotted down the quiet sidewalk to the empty neighborhood playground. Beside the cedar mulch stood a low, wide wooden slide. I paused at the bottom step, looking up at the long, polished ramp. Stepping deliberately, I climbed the three broad wooden rungs until I reached the top platform. After checking the slope below, I sat firmly on my haunches, tucked my paws in, and pushed off. I glided down the waxed timber with a smooth, quiet swish, landing squarely on the soft woodchips at the bottom. I sat upright in the mulch, looking back up at the cedar runway with a quiet grin.