Flight Test at the Gate
I marched down the damp gravel path to the garden gate, eager for something to test in the morning air. Stuck between two mossy cobblestones was a dry, twin-winged sycamore seed. It looked perfectly balanced, and I wasn't about to leave it sitting in the dirt. I tucked the woody stem firmly under my arm and hauled myself up the wrought-iron gate rungs until I reached the flat horizontal crossbar. Planting my boots across the cold, pitted metal, I held the seed high over the drop and let go. The winged blade caught the breeze instantly, whipping into a fierce, spinning spiral down toward the curb. Precision aerodynamics right there.

