Iron Columns

I marched down the hallway at full stride, dead set on the white iron barrier against the baseboard. Direct wall of vertical fins. I did not brake. I drove my snout straight into the hollow between two cast iron ribs. Clang! The impact halted my momentum cold, but the fit was flawless—my cardboard flanks slid neatly into the slotted recess. Strict four-inch intervals. Zero wobble. I reared back and stomped my right claw against the iron column. A low, subterranean drone surged out of the metal, rattling the floorboards beneath my feet. Snap! My jaw locked shut in the humming air. Solid mass.