High Ground

The floor is too low. Needed high ground to see the whole perimeter. I grabbed the cold rung of that white shelf, dug my boots in, and hauled myself up. One rung, then two. Right at the third tier, my knuckles bumped something hard. A smooth, glass paperweight holding down a stack of mail. Heavy. Cool to the touch, like polished river stone. I gave it a testing shove. Barely budged. Sturdy rock, even if it's trapped inside glass. I sat right beside it, keeping watch over the rug below. Clean line of sight all the way to the hallway.