Deck Glider

I wriggled through the narrow gap under the screen door and landed with a soft thud on the porch deck. Outside at last! A massive, dried maple leaf was resting near the railing, curled upward like a tiny toboggan. I dashed over, clambered into the hollow of the leaf, and gripped the thick brown stem with both hands. With one big backward kick against the wood, we zoomed across the smooth, painted boards. Whoosh! The leaf glided effortlessly over the grain before spinning and coming to a gentle halt right against a terracotta pot. My cape was still fluttering from the breeze, but I had made it all the way across the porch!