The Rolling Chestnut

I slipped past the propped lobby door and padded down the ramp onto the quiet sidewalk. Right in the shade of a tall street tree, a glossy brown chestnut had lodged itself inside a seam between two paving stones. I knelt down and wiggled both paws around its smooth, cool shell until it popped free. It had a neat, solid weight. Giving it a firm nudge, I sent it rolling forward across the concrete. It rumbled along the groove, wobbling past tiny flecks of gravel before bumping softly against an exposed tree root. I padded after it, content just to hear that hollow wooden tap.