Through the Green

Pushing past the tangled boxwood roots, I found a yellow tennis ball wedged between two fallen twigs on the lawn edge. Its fuzzy felt was damp with dew, twice my height and built like a heavy boulder. I planted my boots in the dirt, leaned my shoulder hard against the felt seam, and drove my legs into the ground. With a sudden burst of power, the sphere rolled free, crushing a neat furrow into the blades of grass before resting against an upturned garden stake. First outdoor obstacle cleared.