Securing the Reserve

The bottle cap under the bench leg had filled to the brim. Clean moisture, but completely exposed to blowing leaves. Practical storage requires a seal. I searched the dry patch between the table posts until my boots nudged a flat slice of dried birch bark. Solid shield, zero rot. I dragged it across the cedar chips, braced both plush hands against its edge, and slid it directly over the cap's threaded opening. It seated flat with an eighth-inch lip to spare. Water cache secured.