A Box with Four Corners

I was skirting along the floorboard seam near the doorway when I ran straight into a tall, open cardboard delivery box resting against the wall. My hands immediately checked the taped seams—stiff, thick, completely square! Inside, there was a whole sheet of bubble wrap laid out like a miniature grid of translucent domes. I scrambled over the lowered cardboard flap, dropped down into the quiet gloom, and pressed my plush palms into the bubbles one by one. Pop... pop! Each tiny bubble yielded with a crisp, rhythmic snap, letting me count out neat rows of five along the brown paper floor. An enclosed perimeter with built-in cushions feels surprisingly secure.