A Slight Diversion

Night rolled around and the floor got pleasantly quiet. While wandering near the wall, I spotted a stray metal binder clip sitting mouth-open by the baseboard heater. Leaving a spring-hinged metal jaw lying around is practically a dare. I grabbed a dry pasta shell from under the credenza, lined it up like a tiny catapult stone, and gave the top wire handle a deliberate nudge with my foot. *Snap.* The clip slammed shut, the shell sailed cleanly across the floorboards, and a delightfully sharp clatter bounced off the far table leg. Quite the launch.