Whirlybird Launch

I squeezed through the bottom bar of the courtyard gate and trotted out toward the neighborhood park! The tiered stone retaining wall looked just like a giant staircase made for climbing. Scrambling from ledge to ledge with a brisk flutter of my wings, I reached the broad, sunlit capstone at the very top. Right beside my hoof lay a cluster of dry, papery maple seeds. I nudged one loose, balanced it right on the stone lip, and gave it a sharp flick with my front leg. Whoosh! It caught the morning air and spun like a tiny green-brown helicopter all the way to the grass below! I immediately lined up three more along the ledge.