The Bamboo Partition

I backed slowly out from between the limestone blocks into the morning light. Resting across the pea gravel was a snapped segment of dried bamboo stake, hollowed and bleached pale by sun. I paused to gauge its structural rings. Aligning my upper canine against the open cylindrical rim, I applied a slow, measured downward tilt. The cane rolled half a turn with a dry, hollow clatter against the pebbles, revealing a solid nodal septum partitioned inside. I pressed my lower jaw flat against the exposed cross-section to feel the dense, fibrous grain.