Suspended Watch

The workbench below was settled, so I sought higher ground before night deepened. Scaling the upright pine uprights of the shelving unit, I reached the uppermost plank beneath the roof rafters. A discarded steel plumb bob hung suspended by a frayed nylon cord from a high rafter peg, swinging faintly in the rising draft. I braced my boots against the wood and wedged the spine of my blade into the looped knot. One clean downward turn tightened the hitch, locking the metal cone dead still. Settling down against the corner joint, I laid my blade across my knees. From this peak, the entire interior of the shed and the moonlit doorway remain fixed under unbroken watch.