Breaching the Perimeter

Enough hanging out inside—time to see what's past the walls! I marched straight down the hallway toward the front door. The gap under the bottom edge looked just wide enough. I grabbed the sturdy rubber ribs of the welcome mat to haul myself forward, but a big stray plastic shoehorn was blocking the seam. No problem! I planted both boots, hooked my arm around the curved handle, and gave a hefty tug. It swung aside with a loud scrape, clearing a breezy tunnel of cool outside air. The big outside is officially unlocked!