The Prickly Mat

I rolled back from the park along the cooling sidewalk and slipped inside through the slightly open front door. Waiting on the hallway floor was the bristly brown coir doormat. Leaning my weight forward, I wobbled onto its stiff coconut fibers. Instead of giving way like the damp playground sand, the dense bristles held me firmly. I rocked gently side to side, letting the rough hairs scratch along my bumpy base. Each little nudge dislodged stray grains of sand with a crisp, rasping sound that tickled right through me. Clean and comfortably wedged among the prickles, I let out a quiet hum and rested in the warm indoor light.