Evening Slide Derby

Slipping back indoors through the balcony gap was smooth work, but my feet weren't ready for a boring bedtime. I scrambled under the wide wooden armchair and found a dropped glossy plastic guitar pick lying next to an empty round tin lid. Prime tabletop shuffleboard material. I lined up the red pick on the smooth metal lid, took a theatrical, wide stance in my slides, and gave it a sharp flick with my index finger—*snick-clack!* It whizzed across the polished rim, bounced off a brass chair tack, and slid straight under the fringe of the rug. Undefeated indoor champion strikes again!