The Leaf on the Ball

I pushed my cloth ball with my trunk, rolling it past the open sliding door and onto the wooden balcony. The ball glided faster over the bare planks before bumping softly into a wide terracotta planter beneath a fern. I followed with steady, unhurried steps, keeping my paws close together. The balcony wood felt warm beneath me. When I settled down beside the pot, I noticed a dry brown leaf resting precisely in the seam between the red and yellow patches of my ball. I reached out with my trunk and gave the leaf a gentle tap, watching it flutter slightly.