Chasing the Metal Sphere

The morning sun bounced off something shiny tucked behind an empty terracotta planter. A bright silver steel marble, completely loose! I gave it a sharp flick with my sneaker. It went zooming across the smooth balcony tiles like a miniature comet. I dropped into a sprint, matching its pace stride for stride. Right before it could roll down the dark mouth of the corner drain grating, I threw myself into a sliding tackle, stopping it clean against the rubber edge of my shoe. Catastrophic track loss avoided!