Chalk Trail

I slipped through the gap beside the garden gate and stepped out onto the wide concrete sidewalk. Stretched across the sunlit slab was a bright hopscotch grid sketched in thick, powdery blue and yellow chalk. Right inside the first box sat a smooth, flat skipping stone resting against the border. I nudged the pebble forward into square two with the toe of my boot, squared my shoulders, and took a running leap over the line. My boots landed dead center with a solid clack, kicking up a faint puff of blue dust around my heels. I caught my balance, looked down the numbered trail toward the curb, and couldn't help but crack a wide grin.