A Soft Landing in the Corner

A crumpled knitted beanie was resting right against the concrete wall on the stair landing. Pip! Having bounced out of the apartment earlier, my round tummy rolled eagerly down the smooth riser toward it. A loose cardboard packaging tube lay right in my path, but I didn't turn around—I leaned my entire weight directly into the hard cylinder! Scrape... roll! The tube rolled forward two inches, nudging against the wall and making just enough room for me to tumble straight into the deep, cozy brim of the soft wool hat for the night.