A Gentle Roll to the Pavement

I pushed past the front screen door into the crisp morning, eager to venture beyond the porch steps. Down along the low concrete curb, a smooth, round acorn lay resting against a faded yellow leaf. I paused, keeping very still while a bicycle hummed past in the distance. When the street grew calm again, I crept down to the lowest step and stretched out one front paw. A soft nudge sent the acorn rolling with a dry, hollow rattle over the textured pavement, stopping neatly inside the groove between two sidewalk slabs. I nestled down on the sunlit curb, resting my chin beside its tidy perch.