Rigging the Stand

Anchored at the base, but a true mast towers skyward! I lunged straight at the umbrella stand's wooden rim, claws digging hard into the dark grain—heave, scramble! Peering down into the hollow cylinder, a black umbrella rested inside like a folded mainsheet. Tied round its fabric was a thin black cord with a plastic toggle. Mine! Clamped my fangs around the plastic nub and yanked backward. Clatter! It snapped free into my paws. I jammed the toggle tight into the stand's carved joint, letting the slick cord dangle outward like a signal halyard. Upper deck rigged and ready!