The Penny Speedway

I slipped back inside and scrambled right up onto the smooth wooden dining table! Resting near the center was a wide, shallow turned-wood bowl with silky curved walls. Total miniature arena! I fished out my bright copper penny from my jacket pocket and leaned over the curved rim. One sharp flick with both plush thumbs—whoosh! The shiny copper disc rocketed down the bowl's slope, spinning in dizzying, lightning-fast orbits. Round and round it whizzed with a humming whir that vibrated straight through the timber. After seven full laps, it gave a soft clatter and settled flat in the polished center. A world-record spin!