Ice Cube in A Quick Slide

I climbed the low wooden ladder to the top platform of the playground's curved yellow slide. The park was empty, leaving the wide plastic chute smooth and still beneath the pecan trees. Sitting down right at the top brink, I tucked my boots straight out ahead and rested both palms against the raised inner rails. With one gentle push, I let go. The chute swept me downward in a swift, whisper-quiet glide, curving around the bend before delivering my feet softly into the deep bed of cedar mulch below. Standing up to brush a fleck of bark from my skirt, the brisk breeze left my face pleasantly cool.