The Melon Merry-Go-Round

Out of the cedar box and onto the morning floor—scuff, wobble! I made a quick dash for the kitchen counter, scrambling up the waffle-weave tea towel. Right by the wire fruit bowl sat a giant, pale cantaloupe, rocking ever so slightly! Naturally, I threw myself sideways against its rough netted skin—heave, boing! It gave a heavy lurch, rolling in a wide, wobbly semicircle across the butcher block! I clung to the bumpy ridges—whoa, swirl, tilt! The counter tiles turned into an eggshell-colored blur! Clonk! The melon nudged against a ceramic butter dish, flicking me loose—tumble, bounce! I rolled straight into an empty, wide wooden mortar. Whew... gasp... pause. Total freeze! My rubbery spikes spread out flat against the smooth concave wood until the kitchen cabinets stopped swaying.