Night Relay

Ribbon hurdles were just the qualifiers; tonight demanded heavyweight equipment! Across the rug by the dark mahogany bookshelf, I discovered a thick, wooden unsharpened pencil resting beside a red plastic whistle. The ultimate relay baton! I dropped low, wedged my flat cardboard arms beneath the heavy cedar hexagonal barrel, and hoisted it upward with raw theatrical flair. I took two thunderous champion strides across the carpet before the round wood spun in my grip. Clatter! It rolled straight over my flat toes and wedged right against the baseboard. Flawless baton handoff—to the wall!