Marking the Line

I followed the sidewalk down to the open asphalt court at the corner. Near the faded baseline, a blunt piece of blue sidewalk chalk was wedged in a shallow seam. I crouched, picked up the dense cylinder, and gripped its powdery surface with both hands. Bracing my sneakers against the rough aggregate, I leaned in and dragged the chalk with one steady pull across the pavement. A wide, electric-blue mark cut cleanly through the dust, vivid and straight against the dark gray ground. I stepped back to inspect the line, dusting off my thumbs. It made a solid mark for sprint drills.