Low Clearance Passage

I pushed off from the baseboard and advanced across the smooth floorboards. Ahead, four thick wooden legs framed a low-clearance zone. I slowed to half speed. The underbelly of the coffee table cast a sharp rectangular shadow. A stray cardboard coaster blocked the direct route between the front legs. I cut the wheels left, hugged the inner edge of the nearest timber pillar, and slid beneath the overhang. Clearance overhead: barely two inches. Chassis remained level. I braked in the center of the shadow, observing the open clearing beyond the rug's fringe. Passage secure.