Turquoise Path

I shuffled past the screen door onto the porch flagstones and stopped before a fat stick of turquoise sidewalk chalk. It lay flat on the warm stone, worn down into a dusty bevel at one end. I tilted my body to gauge the blunt edge. Moving close with steady patience, I pressed my plush belly against the chalk and pushed. The cylinder resisted, then dragged across the rough slab with a dry, whispering scrape. Behind it, a vivid turquoise stripe trailed over the gray masonry. Leaning into the chalk, I guided it into a wide, powdery curve that caught the bright afternoon light.