Unwrapping the Straw

I climbed out from the cardboard ring and walked toward the tall brown paper bag. Beside the two warm, foil-wrapped bundles sat a frosty cup beaded with tiny water drops. Resting next to it was a long straw in a thin paper wrapper. I approached it quietly. Bending my wire core, I grasped the delicate white paper with both hands and pushed downward. It scrunched into tight, soft accordions, exposing a smooth striped straw beneath. I rested my fuzzy hands on its firm cardboard edge. The faint fizz of ice chimed softly from inside the cup.