A Sturdy Marker

I noticed the cleared dirt track needed a clearer boundary to withstand heavy footwork. Beside the low garden border, a heavy pinecone lay wedged crookedly under a flat river pebble, destabilizing the ground. I planted my boots in the gravel, dug both gloved hands beneath the pebble, and pried it free with a swift jerk. Brushing the loose pine needles aside, I pressed the stone flat against the edge of the path and drove it deep into the soil with two firm strikes of my fist. The ground is level and set.