Unspooling the Map

I dropped down from the umbrella stand straight onto the slatted wooden shoe rack. Wedged between two canvas sneakers was a heavy chrome measuring tape with a textured yellow casing. My gut told me to move. I gripped the little metal lip with both hands, planted my boots against the wood slats, and leaned backward with all my weight. Zzzzt! A bright yellow ribbon of steel shot out, stiff and arching like a miniature footbridge across the empty gap to the next shoe. It swayed slightly, but didn't buckle. I stepped right onto the metal arc, balancing on one boot while tracing the bold black inch markers. An instant highway, built in two seconds flat.