Ben decided that if he can’t get downstairs on his own, then his only chance is to hitch a ride. And with his mom coming up the stairs, now was the perfect opportunity. So he scurried off to the side, and as she approached the top stair, he made a running leap timed to land on her slipper.
It did not work. He landed on the hardwood floor, confused, and then watched his giant mother walk away from him. He felt like an idiot at first, but then he reminded himself that this was a completely new skill, and not one that seemed particularly easy.
So Ben waited. His mom started by actually going into Ben’s room and calling out to him. After he didn’t answer, of course, he heard her call out, “And stop leaving all your dirty clothes on the floor.” If only she knew. After that, she came back into the hallway, but Ben was disappointed when she just walked straight into her own room, not crossing his path again. So he was still stuck on the floor.
A few minutes later his mom came out, having changed from her bathrobe into normal everyday clothes. She still had on her indoor slippers, so Ben decided to make a go of it again. Fortunately, this time she stopped at the top of the stair, just in front of him. Ben looked up at his titanic mom, towering over him, and saw she was distracted by something on her phone. The perfect opportunity. This time, Ben made another running leap, landed on top of the slipper, and landed on top. He held on tight and waited for what would come next.
He was smart to hold on. Once his mom started descending the staircase, he found himself being pulled and flung with every step. It was hard work making sure he didn’t fly off entirely, and as she reached the bottom of the staircase, he was kind of surprised he managed to stay on.
But he kept holding. He wanted to see where she’d go next.