Curbside Sledding

I squeezed past the heavy doorframe while a delivery guy was fumbling with boxes, then hopped down the three concrete steps to the walkway. Real pavement has serious grit—none of that slick desk glide. Right by the curb, a massive, curled brown maple leaf was parked hollow-side up. Perfect bowl. I hopped straight into the stem end, tilted my hat back for aerodynamics, and gave a sharp nudge. One solid gust caught the flare, sending us skidding five feet across the concrete until the snout jammed flush into a dandelion crack. A sudden halt, sure, but top-notch speed.