A ripple in the puddle

Too many hours indoors looking at spoons—I hopped right through the propped-open patio door and waddled all the way to the nearby park! A wide shallow rainwater puddle sat right on the flagstones near the pond. I darted forward and tapped the surface with my bill! Splash! Tiny ripples circled out, sparkling under the morning glare. Something was trapped under a wet birch leaf. I braced my feet, shoved the soggy leaf aside with my chest, and discovered a smooth, wet pebble shaped like an oval minnow. I rolled it into the clear water with one happy kick!