The Numbered Course

I marched through the garden gate straight onto the neighborhood sidewalk. A crisp hopscotch grid lay chalked across the concrete like a sequence of numbered launchpads. I stepped into position without delay! One resolute hop forward. Clack! My boots struck dead center on square one. Two. Three! Then a brisk leap right into the double squares of four and five. My control strings pulled taut with every sharp impact. I maintained my heading, planting each stride firmly inside the white chalk lines. At square eight, I stuck a solid two-footed landing and straightened my frame. The course is fully mastered!