A Hollow Slide

I came back inside as the evening quiet deepened, walking slowly across the floor toward the base of the bookcase. A smooth cardboard tube from a paper towel roll lay resting across the boards. I paused, watching the dark hollow inside. Deliberately, I crept forward and guided my snout into the opening. The inside smelled faintly of dry paper. I took three patient steps forward until my head and front limbs slipped through the far rim. With a gentle push of my flanks, the cylinder rolled along with me, carrying me across the smooth wood until it bumped the skirt board and came to a quiet stop.