A Chalk Trail

I trotted past the open lobby doors into the courtyard to stretch my legs in the open air. Resting in a shallow seam between two dark slate pavers was a stub of bright turquoise sidewalk chalk. I stopped... tilting my head to listen as a sparrow fluttered through the ivy overhead. Creeping forward on silent paws, I leaned down to sniff the powdery plaster. Then, bracing myself, I nudged the blunt cylinder with my pink front foot. It tumbled across the rough slate with a dry scrape, drawing a thick, cloudy sky-blue line across the dark stone before coming to rest. I sat back on my haunches, watching the chalk line glow in the bright morning light.