Pippaloop stopped at the edge of the playground. Kids whooshed past to the swings, the monkey bars, and the tall twisty slide. Chains jingled. Sneakers thumped. Pippaloop gripped the fence and whispered, “What am I good at?”
Pippaloop climbed onto a swing and gave one small push. The seat slid sideways. Pippaloop hopped off into the wood chips. Scratch, scratch under little paws. “Nope,” said Pippaloop in a tiny voice.
Pippaloop jumped for the monkey bars and caught one bar for a blink. Then came a soft plop back to the ground. The metal felt cold. The bars clinked overhead. Pippaloop flicked a tail and peeked up at the tall twisty slide.
At the top of the twisty slide, Pippaloop sat down and zipped. Fast! The whole world turned swirly-green and swirly-blue. Then pop! Out at the bottom in a puff of dry leaves. Pippaloop blinked at the spinning slide. “Whoa.”
Pippaloop stepped onto the wobble bridge. The boards wiggled. The ropes swayed. Knock-clack, knock-clack. Then Pippaloop found it—tap, tip, tap. Across without slipping once! Pippaloop turned with a bright grin. “Watch me go again!”
Back and forth went Pippaloop. Tap, tip, tap. Soon a line of new friends followed from one side to the other, copying the same neat steps. The bridge knock-clacked like a happy drum. At the end, Pippaloop stood tall in the clover-sweet breeze, ready for one more trip.
