Tipping the Line

Sss... seven black dominoes stood upright in a meticulous, straight line across the sunlit floorboards. Step... pause... step. I edged closer, pausing to observe the stark white pips carved into each glossy face. They stood so quiet, balanced on their narrow edges. The urge to break the stillness coiled tighter and tighter in my chest until—thump! In an abrupt, hasty jolt, I drove my forehead into the end piece. Clack-clack-clack-clack! A swift wooden ripple clattered across the wood, toppling every single block into a neat, overlapping cascade. I froze, breath catching... sss. Not one slid out of line.