The dust on court four

Original fiction extract.

The coach had placed six balls along the line on court four. Elin was supposed to pick up each one after her next attempt. Before she could begin, a small movement crossed the dry ground beyond the fence. She thought somebody had thrown a handful of leaves into the air. Then the leaves began to turn together.

A narrow tower of dust came walking towards the court. Its base worried the gravel while its pale head wavered above the fence. One abandoned score sheet rose to join it, turning slowly into an unreadable flag. The coach stopped speaking. Along the line, the six yellow balls remained absurdly orderly while the air invented a dance with everything which had been left loose. Elin felt grit tap her bare ankles. The little tower leaned, lost its outline and became ordinary dust again, spread thinly over a much larger piece of afternoon.

The score sheet settled beside the net with a new fold down its centre. The coach picked it up and turned back to Elin. She tried to remember the instruction he had been giving. Beyond him, one leaf continued moving after all the others had stopped. For a moment it seemed the more important thing to watch.

Choose three powerful words or phrases from the extract above. Analyse how the writer uses language to describe the dust devil interrupting the tennis lesson.

Write about 200 to 250 words.