A Low Slide

I shuffled to the edge of the woven runner and pushed myself onto the bare, waxed floorboards. My plush base slid three full feet before bumping softly against an open cardboard box left beside the wall. Inside lay a loose swirl of crumpled brown kraft paper. I tipped forward over the cardboard lip and wedged into the deepest crease. The heavy paper gave way beneath my weight with a slow, dry crunch, then held its shape around me. From down here, the rest of the hallway has disappeared.