Lamp Post Lookout

I grabbed the ribbed pivot of the desk lamp and hauled myself up before checking whether the tension springs were locked. The articulated steel arm dipped with a faint creak, but I swung my legs over the joint and scrambled right onto the crown of the metal shade. From up here, the whole room widened out, and the glass pane gave me a clear shot at the black iron fire escapes crisscrossing the brick building across the street. The enamel felt solid and cool under my boots, and the hinge held steady without sliding an inch.