A Devious Mystery

I vacuum our living room area once a week on average. Many a visitor has rested his or her kiester on our faux Klimt rug, replete with those puffed wheat symbols that represent...well, puffed wheat, of course. It is a large, heavy rug, of excellent construction, and it is arrayed upon wall to wall "cranberry" colored carpeting. First, I vacuum the rug, then I work my way around it, folding over each end in turn to get access to the irregular areas of the room. Finally, I return the rug to its original position. You cannot simply pick up the side of the rug and pull it, as the friction is much too great. Instead, one has to pick up one side until a significant amount of the rug (>30%?) is off the carpeting. Then you can pull it into place.

The point here is that the rug is sitting on the carpet. It's sitting there real good.

So why, every week, do I have to return the rug to it's original position? Sometimes it moves a large amount in a week's time, sometimes a little. Occasionally, one side is curled up against the sofa, as if driven there by a steady, inexorable force. It always moves in the same direction.

I'm stunned, baffled, and kerfloozled.

Won't you help?

The images below are before and after vacuuming this morning. The line in Exhibit A represents the original placement. I welcome any suggestions that do not involve leprechauns or other tiny little bipeds.

NOTE! The person who responds with the correct answer will be awarded 15 blogpoints. So get crackin'!

Exhibit A
















Exhibit B