Fifteen Snaps

A wide strip of clear bubble wrap lay stretched across the hallway floorboards. I shuffled to the edge and planted the front of my base onto the first raised dome. It resisted, then detonated with a crisp, violent snap right beneath me. I did not blink. I stood completely frozen for ten seconds while the vibration faded into the oak. Then I leaned into the next bubble. Another sharp crack. I took fifteen slow, uncompromising steps in a straight line, leaving a path of flattened plastic all the way to the skirting board. An exceptionally obedient percussion mat.