Staircase Rhythm

I bounced right out past the front door onto the top wooden step of the porch! Down below, a line of four red clay flowerpots sat arranged in a neat descending stair pattern. Boing, thump! I hopped down to the first step—solid wood with a deep, echoing knock. One! Then my spring base nudged a loose fallen pinecone right on the edge. Rattle, roll, clack! It tumbled down step two, step three, and tapped against the smallest clay pot with a crisp ping! I bounced three times in a quick row, matching each roll of the pinecone until it rested quietly on the gravel path.