The Snap-Back Bridge

I scrambled down the chair rungs and dashed straight to a bright yellow tape measure on the console table! Its metal tab poked out like a tiny shiny handle. I didn't hesitate—I grabbed the hook with both hands and hauled backward with all my weight. Zzzzt! A stiff yellow steel ribbon slid out from the plastic case, forming a neat miniature bridge across the wood. I hopped right onto the numbered markings to test its spring! But my paper boots knocked the black release switch—click! The coiled spring snatched the blade straight home with a loud snap, sending me skidding belly-first across a scatter of envelopes with a giant grin!