Testing the Pillar

I stepped down from the quiet monolith and marched across the wooden expanse. A heavy ceramic mug stood ahead like a stone tower. I planted my talons into the timber grain and drove my shoulder firmly against its curved white wall. It resisted at first, unyielding and cold, then scraped across the wood with a low, grating groan. It slid an inch and held fast, neither tipping nor cracking under my weight. A sturdy structure worthy of the table.