Down the Chute

Waddling down the front steps, I followed the noon breeze to an empty neighborhood playground. A small toddler slide stood over a bed of golden woodchips. I hopped up the chunky steps one by one, reaching the high platform. The entire sunny clearing spread out below. Pausing at the crest, I leaned forward and stepped onto the wide stainless steel chute. In a breath, my plush belly lost traction. I glided smoothly down the slick curve, the cool metal singing beneath me, before sliding right into a soft mound of woodchips at the bottom. I righted myself, looking back up at the gleaming path.