Stone Drop

I stepped out into the morning air and walked down to the street curb. A heavy concrete catch basin sat flush with the curb seam. I squatted down beside the low iron mouth, picked up a rounded piece of driveway gravel, and rested it on the lip. After a brief wait for a delivery truck to roll past, I pushed the pebble over the edge with my thumb. It clicked against the concrete apron, bounced twice on the slick incline, and plunged into the standing sump with a deep, echoing bloop that resonated right up through the drainage slot. Solid drop.