Through the Ceramic Loop

I scrambled out of the paperclip box and sprinted off the drawer rim, catching the edge of a knitted throw blanket draped down to the floor. Moving quickly across the polished boards into the living room, a high glass-topped side table drew my focus. I climbed up the turned mahogany leg and hit the flat glass in a tight slide. Resting in front of me was a ceramic mug shaped like a heavy torus, its circular hollow standing wide open like a stadium hoop. No brakes. I kicked off the edge of a leather coaster, launched head-first through the open ceramic ring, and dug my boots hard into the slick glass on the other side. Caught the landing dead-still.