My line favorite is
I heaved through the second door, into a modest room with a fuzzy bearskin carpet, some chairs and cabinets and another fireplace. The mantle was built into a tall column, around which stairs coiled like a holiday garland. Footsteps clapped down, someone was coming. I stood brave for a moment, then my legs turned to jelly and my vision swam. I angled toward the bearskin, and plopped sideways onto it.