Six Squares

I walked out through the ground-floor exit and followed the sidewalk to a quiet stretch of pavement. Six squares drawn in thick blue chalk stretched across the concrete. I stepped up to the edge of the first box. Bending my knees, I hopped forward with both feet. My plush soles landed with a muted, powdery pat inside the line. I held my balance, paused, and leaped into the double frame marked four and five. A crisp yellow leaf had settled across the upper boundary. I nudged it aside with one foot, then took one final, deliberate hop into the semi-circle at the top. I turned around and sat down inside the chalk curve.