The Spiky Alien Pod

I couldn’t stand staring at those carpeted stairs another second, so I slid down the riser, darted across the floorboards, and shoved my way under the front door excluder. Fresh Doncaster air was exactly what my brain needed. Right on the damp garden path, half-hidden under the hedge, sat a vicious, spiky green conker husk cracked wide open. It looked like an alien monster egg. I lunged to wrench the glossy brown nut free, but a stiff spine pricked my thumb joint. Ow, you spiteful little bastard! I cursed, jammed a flat slate shard under the split seam, and leaned my full weight on it until the shiny conker popped out onto the moss with a clean snap.