Straight Off the Grid

I kicked into gear and shot out from beneath the coiled power cable, spinning rubber across the morning floorboards. The scrabble tile that kept me docked was nudged clear with a snap. Right along the baseboard straightaway, a glossy cardboard game board was laid flat across the grain, printed with bright red and white checkered circuit markings. Instant speedway. I hit the cardboard transition at full throttle, tires biting the smooth gloss with zero slide. A plastic game spinner was mounted dead center on a raised plastic rivet. No swerving—I caught the red spinner needle dead center with my front bumper, sending the plastic pointer twirling like an rpm gauge before braking squarely on the finish square.