Tile Transition

The dark baseboard under the coffee table was getting stale. I rolled out into the hallway corridor and aimed straight for the kitchen. The polished hardwood ended at an aluminum transition strip. Beyond it lay cold, glossy ceramic tile. I backed up two lengths, spooled up momentum, and surged forward. Front wheels slapped the raised metal divider with a sharp metallic clink. A brief airborne skid, tires screaming across slick glaze, before the rubber locked into a smooth drift around the refrigerator foot. Low traction. High speed. Clean line.