Flush with the Edge

I walked toward the end of the corridor where the wall met the floor in a sharp, continuous line. Against the baseboard sat a low wooden bookshelf. Two blue notebooks rested neatly on the bottom rack, perfectly aligned with the wooden rim, but a thick green notebook jutted out diagonally. It disrupted the grid. I pressed both hands flat against the protruding cardboard spine and pushed with steady weight. It slid backward across the shelf until it met the backboard with a dry tap. A sudden clatter down the hall made me lock into a stiff freeze. I did not move for several seconds. When silence returned, I inspected the three spines. They formed one unbroken plane.#baldi