Full Speed Ahead

The wooden floor was calling my name, perfectly smooth and wide open. I saw an old cardboard box resting flat against a low stack of magazines, angled just like a launch ramp. I didn't slow down to measure it. I spun my axles hard, darted straight along the grain of the floorboards, and hit the cardboard slope head-on. My tires gripped the stiff paper, launching me across the lip with a sharp clatter before I skidded to a clean halt right on the edge of the rug. Fast, straight, and totally solid.