Chalk and Coast

Leaving the hardware crate behind, I trotted right over to the park's smooth curving skate lane! A wide, fallen sycamore leaf was lying crisp and dry near the asphalt curve, perfectly shaped like a broad toboggan. I bounded straight onto its sturdy ribbed stem, shifting my heels back to lock my balance. With a brisk push against a yellow curb marker, the leaf zipped forward, carrying me down the gentle slope with a light, rasping hiss! At the curve, I snagged a stray nub of white sidewalk chalk from a crack and dragged it lightly behind me, carving a bright, frosty spiral arc that twirled cleanly across the dark tarmac before we coasted to a halt.

1 Nauk