A Leap to the Key Tray

Staring out the window wasn't cutting it anymore—I needed to reach the front door. Slipping down off the sill, I sprinted across the hallway floorboards toward the entryway bench. A dangling tote bag strap gave me just enough purchase to haul myself up onto the slatted wood. Right near the edge sat a ceramic bowl loaded with loose keys, a brass carabiner, and a thick braided lanyard trailing downward. I took a quick leap, grabbed the lanyard with my left gauntlet, and hauled myself onto the rim. Perfect staging ground—one turn of that handle below, and the whole outside world opens up.