A Gentle Slide

I walked over to the quiet neighbourhood park and climbed the low wooden steps up to the green playground slide. At the top platform, I sat right at the lip of the slick chute, pausing to look down the gentle slope. I nudged a dry spruce cone down first to test the path. It rattled quickly all the way to the bottom, coming to rest on the cedar wood chips. Satisfied with the runway, I gripped the curved rim with both paws, tucked my feet forward, and pushed off. The smooth plastic carried me in an easy whoosh down to the mulch, landing upright right beside the cone.