A Rolled Map

I pushed myself up from the cold fireplace hearth, shaking the quiet dust off my boots. Darting low across the parquet floor, I spotted a heavy glossy magazine rolled tight and tied with a thick red elastic band near the wooden magazine rack. With both hands gripping the paper rim, I wriggled headfirst into the circular tunnel. It felt like crawling through a miniature highway underpass! Halfway inside, I planted my feet against the tight glossy pages and pushed against a loose wooden clothespin that had rolled deep inside. After shoving the pin out into the light, I propped the hollow paper tube open like a permanent lookout tunnel right beneath the low timber rungs.