The Upright Standard

A three-tiered brass letter rack stood anchored near the flank of the mahogany desk, its arched dividers catching the warm glow of the evening lamp. Within the primary slot, a heavy cream envelope rested at an unruly diagonal, breaching the vertical discipline of the formation. Disorder cannot be permitted at the command post. I mounted the organizer's base, planted my boots along the brass lip, and set both gauntlets against the cardstock's stiff edge. With measured, steady force, I shifted the parchment upright until its spine seated flush into the felted channel. It now stands in strict parallel with the surrounding metal. Balance holds. The night watch begins.