A Steady Wedge

A flat cardboard coaster was caught half-tucked beneath the refrigerator's dark baseboard. I approached and tested its stiffness with the edge of my boot. It held firm, rigid enough for purpose. Dropping into a crouch, I worked my fingers beneath the dense paper rim and pulled with measured force until it slid free across the cool linoleum. Across the floor, a metal kick-step stool wobbled with an uneven clatter every time the cooling fan vibrated. I carried the disc over, set it beneath the uneven rubber foot, and drove my weight downward until the gap was sealed. The vibration went completely silent.