Pinecone Strike

I wriggled free from the rubber boot, wobbled past the hallway door, and rolled straight onto the living room rug. Right beside the bookshelf, three spiky brown pinecones were sitting in an orderly little triangle. Total bowling setup! I backed up two paces, rocked onto my curved base to calibrate my trajectory, and charged—thump, roll, slam! Direct hit right down the middle. Pinecones went tumbling across the wool like startled hedgehogs. One bounced under the bottom shelf, while the other two clattered together and spun out flat. Strike! I wobbled right into the empty center spot, claiming the champion lane.