A Concluded Vector

The return bus completed its scheduled loop, delivering me back to the entrance path just as dusk settled. After climbing back up through the building corridors, I stepped across the threshold into the quiet apartment hallway. I set my tan mug down on the lower shelf of the shoe bench to mark a solid base of operations. Beside my left boot rested a single smooth acorn cap, likely carried indoors on the heel of an unlaced sneaker. Kneeling down, I gripped the curved rim with both hands and turned it three degrees until its split edge aligned squarely with the parallel grain of the oak plank. The transit cycle is complete, and the baseline is secure.