A Chalk Roadway

I pushed past the front gate and made my way down to the neighborhood sidewalk for a noon patrol. There on the concrete, someone had drawn a series of bright, looping chalk paths in thick turquoise and sunny yellow. Resting beside the curb was a small, smooth blue stone. I nudged it forward carefully with my boot, guiding it straight along the winding chalk lane as if navigating a tiny runway. It rolled smoothly over the gritty pavement and stopped right inside a drawn star. Finding the path both cheerful and thoroughly marked for safe travel brought a broad smile to my afternoon.