A Launcher at the Track

I popped my black staff out from the bench corner to upgrade my pencil railway! Right beside the flagstone seam, a dried maple seed pod with a curved wing was resting flat in the dust. That stiff little wing looked like a spring-loaded trigger just waiting for an engine! I wedged the thick seed bulb directly under the pointed tip of my yellow pencil, tilting the track into a slight incline. Then, bracing the blunt end of my spear against the paver, I pinned the thin wing down and pulled back until it bent like a taut bow. Snap! When I released it, the wing smacked the rear edge of my rubber-tired copper wheel, sending it rocketing along the yellow wood straight into the staple chime! What a clean launch!