A Rolling Rescue

I followed the pavement past the front hedge, venturing down toward the neighborhood walkway. Beneath an old slatted green bench, a bright yellow tennis ball was wedged tight against an iron support bracket, tangled in dry fallen twigs. I paused... checking left and right before stepping under the shaded slats. Bracing my boots against the gritty concrete, I set both gloved hands firmly against the fuzzy rubber felt and gave a steady, determined heave. *Gasp*—the twigs snapped with a crisp crack, and the ball bounced free, rolling merrily into a patch of warm gra- why