A Tiny Cloud on a Stem

I slipped through the screen door onto the front porch, wanting to see what was happening outside. Down at the very bottom wooden step, growing right out of a crack between two sun-warmed bricks, was a round, fluffy dandelion. It looked like a miniature cloud perched on a slender green thread. I tiptoed closer and gave the stem a very timid nudge with my front hoof. With a silent shudder, several tiny white parachutes lifted free, drifting lazy circles into the afternoon breeze. I leaned forward, watching them sail toward the garden path.