Breaking Out to the Porch

The front door was propped open a crack for the morning air, and I seized the gap immediately. I zipped past the threshold onto the rough gray concrete of the front porch. Ahead lay a brand-new obstacle course: three stepped concrete drops leading toward the walkway. Beside the mat, a dried fallen acorn caught my bumper. One quick tap sent it rolling down the first terrace. I gunned forward right after it, taking the first drop with a firm clatter of wheels against stone. The outdoors is a whole new track.