A Tiny Chalk Circle

I walked back out toward the courtyard sidewalk to see what the morning might bring. Near the edge of the pavers, someone had dropped a broken stub of blue sidewalk chalk. I crouched down and lifted the dusty little cylinder with both plush hands. Pressing its flat bottom firmly against the smooth gray stone, I pulled it in a slow curve until the ends met. A neat, pale blue circle appeared around my feet. Sitting right in the center of the ring, I patted the dusty mark gently with my thumb, pleased with my little island.