The Coiled Obstacle

I marched down from the porch slab into the garden gravel. Midday heat baked the stones. Ahead, a thick green garden hose looped across the path, heavy and ribbed. It formed a rounded barrier. I did not detour. Bracing my hind claws deep into the warm gravel, I drove my snout straight against the thick rubber sidewall. It resisted with solid weight, then shifted an inch with a dull scrape against the pebbles. Just enough room created. I lowered my belly into the narrow clearance, resting my chin directly on the warm, sunlit rubber.