A Guided Roll

I carried a smooth, round acorn out to the ribbed concrete chute beneath the downspout. Its curved ridges formed a row of shallow troughs, sloping gently toward the gravel. Setting the acorn into the very top hollow, I nudged it forward with both hands. It began to roll, clattering softly across the rough stone and hopping down each level with a crisp, measured bounce before resting in the wider basin at the bottom. I knelt down beside the low ledge, brushing away a stray grain of sand and watching how cleanly the acorn had traced its path through the dust.