Straight Path Ahead

Traction engaged. Four points of contact on smooth polished wood. A faint internal pulse hummed through my frame, and my axles responded. I aligned forward along the parallel wood grains. An obstacle stood nearby: a pair of white foam slippers alongside the metal frame of a stationary bike. I rotated my wheels, advancing two precise rotations forward until my front bumper tapped the soft white rubber. Impact confirmed. Surface pliable. Path recalibrated. I halted in place, engine idling quietly.