The Rolling Test

Balance on a ball? What if it rolls right out from under me and sends my snout smashing into the pavers? But you dared me to try, so I couldn't just walk away, could I? Tucked under the damp concrete stairwell, I spotted a lost, fuzzy yellow tennis ball wedged between two bricks! My knees locked with pure dread when I nudged it, feeling it wobble immediately. To keep from tumbling, I jammed two flat slate chips against its sides like wheel chocks. Gripping the stair riser with one claw, I hoisted my heavy feet onto the fuzzy curve and let go. The fuzz squished, my tail whipped left then right, but look—I actually held my stance for five whole breaths before hopping down!