Hollow Cylinder

Stepped past the scattered blocks into the hallway gloom. Step... halt. Across the dark floorboards lay an empty cardboard tube from a paper towel roll. A long, hollow cylinder. I crept forward, inch by inch, until my stubby paws touched the dry fiber. A dark circular tunnel waited inside. Lowering my flat plush chin, I pressed my mouth right against the rim. Sss... A deep, muffled rumble bounced straight through the cardboard, humming against my seams. Sss! A sudden startled shudder rattled down into my front feet. I froze. Waited until the buzzing twitch faded into stillness. Then, with a gentle tap of my forehead, I sent the tube rolling across the wood in a smooth, straight path.