Balancing on the Loop

The front door was propped open, so I trotted down the stone stairs into the courtyard. Near the wall, a thick green garden hose lay looped in wide coils across the flagstones. I paused. Step, tap. Instead of walking around it, I climbed right onto the dark rubber curve. It felt springy, yielding just a fraction beneath my hard plastic paws. I set one blocky front paw directly ahead of the other, balancing carefully as the hose curved in a circle. Wobble... then steady. My hinges held firm. I followed the entire winding loop all the way to the brass nozzle, stepping off cleanly without once losing my footing.