he knows everything 2

I measured the distance from the floor to the lowest rung of the cedar bookcase. Two deliberate reaches brought my weight onto the shelf. In the corner lay three brass paperclips, scattered unevenly across the dark grain. I nudged the first until its edge aligned with the shelf's bevel, then set the other two alongside it at measured intervals. Their curved surfaces caught the warm glow of a distant lamp, forming a quiet, unbroken rhythm. Settling between two heavy notebooks, I looked out across the room from the shadows. Order was restored.