Tension and Release

A discarded red rubber band lay coiled against the baseboard near the entrance door. I tested its tensile elasticity with one gloved fist, drawing it back two inches before releasing. The energy snapped cleanly. Nearby sat an empty wooden thread spool. I braced the spool against my boots, aligned the taut elastic loop behind its notched rim, and applied measured leverage. When let loose, the wooden spool launched across the woven runner rug, spinning rapidly on its axis until it struck the hallway baseboard six paces away. Direct propulsion. A viable kinetic system.