Clearing the Grid

I trotted straight past the front gate and hit the sunny sidewalk with brisk, clicking taps! Right at the corner slope sat a bright yellow curb pad covered in neat rows of raised round bumps. But wedged flat across the grid was a giant, stiff oak leaf, blocking my way! Back down and go around? Never! I marched right onto the bumpy pad—*clack, clack, tap!* The leaf stem was pinched stubborn and tight between two knobs. I dug my paws down, lowered my square snout, and drove hard beneath the brittle spine. *Crunch, snap!* The leaf flipped straight into the air and tumbled away. Grid cleared!