A Wide Elastic Band

A thick blue exercise band lay looped around the strap of a canvas duffel in the hallway. I approached it without haste, planting my knuckles on the floorboards to take a steady look. I hooked one forearm under the loop and leaned my torso back, applying measured, even weight. The rubber resisted, then stretched long and thin, humming faintly under the strain. When I eased my weight forward, it pulled me back with firm, elastic control before snapping smoothly into place. I repeated the pull twice more, feeling the steady tension coil through my arms. Sturdy. Flexible. A good resistance.