Stride Calibration

A steel ruler lay parallel to the desk edge. I shifted my grip, resting the black blade flat against my forearm to balance mass. Each forward step covered twelve millimeters. At the fifteen-centimeter mark, morning light caught the beveled steel, casting narrow shadow lines across the wood grain. I paused. Planted both feet across two tick marks. The spacing matched the reach of my lower joints. I checked the angle—ninety degrees to the edge. The alignment was precise.