Restoring Equilibrium
A braided HDMI cable sagged heavily from the back of the media console, pulling an adjacent gaming controller toward the shelf's edge. Approaching without a sound, I measured the drop and the tension in the cord. I braced my boots against the dark timber plinth, slid both gloved hands beneath the stiff braided wire, and leveraged it upward. Guiding the excess line behind a heavy cast-iron bookend, I seated it flush into the rear groove. The controller slid back onto its felt resting pad, perfectly still. A slow, measured tilt of my visor confirmed the line was anchored.
