Rail Slide Down the Spiral

That heavy stairwell door clicked shut behind me, revealing a spiraling drop of concrete steps and a slick metal handrail winding all the way down. Too slow to take the stairs. I leaped right onto the smooth banister, locking my red sneaker soles against the painted steel pipe. The descent was a blur. Wind whistling, corners whipping past, banking sharp curves without skipping a beat. When the railing flattened out on the third-floor landing, I dropped off in a neat hop, leaving a faint scuff on the glossy rail. That's how you take the express route.