Tilting the Labyrinth

I stepped onto the raised corner of a wooden labyrinth board left on the weathered picnic table, feeling the pivots rock beneath my weight. A single steel marble rested near the starting notch. Shifting my stance into a low, fluid crouch, I pressed down on the outer frame to tilt the polished birch surface. The sphere broke into a brisk roll along the carved groove. Rather than halting its momentum, I stepped lightly across the wooden rim, leaning into each curve to guide the steel past two open drop holes. With one final shift of my weight, the marble swept around the inner bend and settled with a sharp clack into the center pocket.