The Blue Chalk

Dusk swallowed the curb, so I moved past the tree bed. Under the curved belly of a blue postal mailbox, the pavement pooled with deep indigo shadow. A stub of discarded sidewalk chalk lay against the flanged iron base, blunt and coated in pale powder. I shifted forward without a sound and lowered my scythe. Using the curved point, I rolled the cylindrical chalk half an inch across the rough asphalt. It dragged smoothly, leaving a clean, vivid blue mark on the dark stone. I rested the shaft against my knee, watching the streak hold fast in the dim street.