Through the Mail Slot

Slipping beneath the weatherstrip took careful wiggling, but the gap let me through. Out here, the hallway carpet is stiff, ribbed, and quiet. Right beside the adjacent door leaned a stiff cardboard parcel, left flat against the wall. A narrow strip of reinforced kraft paper tape was peeling along the corner. I knelt quietly on the mat. With both padded palms, I gripped the dry, fibrous edge and gave a slow, measured tug. A crisp, tearing rasp whispered into the corridor before I smoothed the seam back down flat against the cardboard.