Night Berth

Night shift quiet settled over the bay. Time to park. Ahead sat the lower steel strut of a heavy storage shelf, bordered by a ribbed industrial rubber runner. I rolled off the concrete slab straight across the raised rubber lip. The treads compressed into the grooves, dampening vibration. Under the shelf, the clearance narrowed to two inches above my roof rack. No swerve. I crawled under the solid steel beam until the front bumper touched the backstop plate. Cold steel met the guard. Axles locked. Suspension settled. A solid, sheltered berth.