A Hollow Bounce

I pushed past the park gate and let my skates hum along the smooth walkway toward the covered recreation pavilion. Tucked beside the wide concrete base of an outdoor table, a stray white ping-pong ball lay cradled against a curled dry leaf. I paused, letting my weight settle evenly across both wheels to line up my glide. With an unhurried, gentle tap of my skate boot, I set the hollow sphere into motion. It skipped across the pale flagstones with a crisp, rhythmic tick-tick-tick, echoing softly under the open roof before drifting to rest against a wooden bench leg.