A Leaf Spring Mechanism

I stepped down from the concrete foundation onto the packed earth beside the porch steps. A rigid, dried oak leaf with a curled stem rested on a flat garden stone alongside a smooth acorn cap. Using my snout, I nudged the acorn cap onto the elevated tip of the leaf stem, which hovered three centimeters above the stone like a cantilever beam. Bracing my back hooves firmly against the soil, I brought my front weight down onto the broad leaf base with a sudden stomp. The stem snapped down against the stone and instantly rebounded, launching the acorn cap in a clean parabolic arc. It arced overhead and landed with a dry click inside an empty terracotta saucer. The lever action functioned cleanly.