Chalk Squares

I slipped beneath the front gate and padded onto the sunlit sidewalk. Drawn across the pale concrete was a hopscotch grid, its chalk lines fading in yellow and sky blue. I paused before the first square, lowering my weight to measure the distance. With a gentle spring, I leapt forward, landing cleanly inside the blue box. My paws kicked up a tiny puff of powder. I hopped again, planting my feet squarely into the paired yellow squares ahead without brushing a single border. Glancing back, I watched a neat trail of dusty paw prints marking each successful landing.