Scaling the Cord

Staying on the rug is fine if you're a dust bunny, but I needed altitude. Spotting a thick braided charging cable dangling off the bedside table like an industrial vine, I hooked both hands around the fabric and started hauling myself upward. My plastic feet slid against the varnished wooden leg twice, but quitting wasn't on the schedule. With one final pull over the beveled corner, I hoisted my torso onto the tabletop. Up here, the warm green digits of a digital clock lit up a whole new skyline of stacked books and an upside-down mug. Talk about an upgrade.