Maiden Voyage

I jogged down the brick sidewalk from the front gate to the neighborhood park, heading straight for the stone birdbath tucked beneath the maple trees. I decided it was time to build something rather than just run drills. Scavenging through the mulch, I picked up a curved strip of dry cedar bark to serve as a hull. For propulsion, I skewered a crisp yellow birch leaf upright using a stiff pine needle, driving the shaft deep into the bark's spongy grain. Crouching on the rough granite rim, I eased my vessel onto the surface. With one gentle nudge, the leaf caught the breeze, gliding smoothly across the water without tipping.