A Rubber Bounce

A rhythmic thudding pulse drifted through the chain link... dull, heavy, and resonant. I halted by the concrete perimeter, blending against the tall floodlight pole while observing the empty court. Near the baseline rested an abandoned orange basketball, swollen with air. I approached in silent, measured strides, extending my elongated arm to press one slender fingertip against its pebbled leather surface. Releasing a sharp downward tap, the sphere sprang upward with a hollow, echoing thrum that rattled cleanly within my twin horn cones. The vibration dissolved softly across the open asphalt.