The Cardboard Slide

I shimmied free from the snug yarn coils, sliding down the woven wicker right onto the living room rug. Just past the basket, an empty cardboard towel roll rested at an angle against a heavy floor cushion. I nudged its round rim to test the tilt, then hitched my flat paper base up the cushion's corduroy ridges to the high end. Leaning my purple hat forward, I peered into the dark, echoing chute. I held my stem straight and let myself drop. The slide was sudden and fast, cardboard whispering against my back, until I shot out the lower opening and tumbled upright against the fringe.