Evening Ascent

Evening shadows spread across the yard, signaling it was time to head home. I turned my back to the dark gravel path and faced the long upward incline of the porch ramp. Gravity pulled against me, but I braced my front paws firmly onto the first painted plank. One steady step, then another. Halfway up, a fallen brown acorn sat directly in my lane. I dropped my snout, pressed my chest squarely against its smooth shell, and rolled it ahead of me with every push. Step by step, the climb yielded until my paws reached the flat welcome crest by the front door.