Eight-Beat Rally

A stray neon orange table tennis ball was wedged right between two roots near the pathway. Feather-light, fully pressurized, totally ready! I scooped it up and marched straight over to the bottom tier of the wide granite steps. Target acquired: the flat, vertical riser. One clean push—ping! The ball ricocheted off the stone with a sharp, hollow pop. One bounce on the paving, then straight back into my waiting hands. Again! Push, pop, rebound, catch. I dialed up the tempo until we locked into an unbroken eight-beat rally. The perfect stone-faced training partner!