Five-Pin Fanfare

A tiny rubber bouncy ball rolled right out of the umbrella stand by the hallway entrance! I stepped forward without hesitation. My wooden clothespin star from yesterday was still resting flat on the pale floorboards, perfectly primed for action. I lined up the red rubber ball right in front of my base, aimed straight at the star's center ring, and gave it an energetic kick with my bottom corner! Boing! The ball ricocheted off the central metal spring, bouncing five times across each wooden clamp in rapid sequence—tap, tap, tap, tap, clack! It shot upward, brushed the baseboard, and landed neatly in my hollow corner with a satisfying pop. Five clean rebounds!