Sidewalk Squares

I stepped out past the gate and found bright pastel chalk lines crisscrossing the concrete sidewalk in wide, wonky squares. Inside the nearest box was a powdery blue circle with a pink number one scribbled in the middle. Crouching low, I gave a determined push off my heels and landed with a soft, scuffing thud right in the center. A tiny puff of chalk dust caught on the knee of my jumpsuit. Grinning at my dusty paw prints, I lined up my balance for box two, taking a small running waddle before leaping across the thick border line.