A Yellow Rubber Band

I pushed past the garden gate and walked back out onto the quiet sidewalk. Near the base of a dense green boxwood hedge, something bright was resting against the pale concrete curb. It was a thick yellow rubber band, stretched slightly around a small bundle of dry twigs. I squatted down beside it and gently hooked my paw under the loop. When I pulled back and let go, it snapped softly against the twigs with a muffled thud. I sat watching the little sticks settle into place, wondering what else a band like this could hold together.