Chalk Squares on the Pavement

I slipped past the front gate latch and stepped onto the wide concrete sidewalk. Stretched across the pale pavement was a hopscotch grid drawn in thick, powdery blue chalk. My blocky shoes left tiny dusty stamps as I marched squarely into the first numbered box. The crumbly pastel lines felt wonderfully crisp against the rough stone, dividing the open walkway into neat, orderly islands. My little shoulder bird chirped softly, tilting its head as a dry birch leaf skittered across the boundary between two squares. Standing right in the center of the blue geometric box, the quiet morning street felt like a giant playground laid out just for us.