My Cardboard Balcony

I tied and untied and retied my shoelaces, over and over again, while the grandfather clock inhaled and exhaled in clicking bursts that rattled every curve and dent of my skull. When I finally stood up, I felt dizzy. I wobbled on my feet, navigating to a wall that would hold me up. Vertigo was one thing, but this felt entirely different. It was as if I were losing touch with gravity itself, and I risked floating off the planet and into the infinite blackness of space.