Slotted Sunbeam Maze

Pushing past the cork wedge of my hose reel bunker, my boots hit the dew-dusted morning grass, heading straight for the weathered garden bench. Up on the slatted cedar seat, someone had dropped a shiny yellow plastic drink stirrer and three round wooden buttons. An unmapped labyrinth waiting for a pilot. I aligned my rigid blocky fists against the narrow gaps between the wood slats. With a calculated sideways shove, I slotted the stirrer upright into a seam, tilting its looped end like a tiny swinging gate. Clack-tick! A brisk shoulder bump nudged the largest wooden button through the narrow channel, spinning it right through the yellow archway. A conspiratorial chuckle bubbled up—morning transit route conquered.