The Accession File

I wedged the blunt notch of my arrow beneath the brass label frame of index drawer 'R' to pry it out an inch. Balancing on the narrow wooden rim, I flipped through the stiff catalog cards until the accession code matched the iron-gall stamp from the survey map. '1898 Expedition—Tributary Basin.' The entry confirmed three sealed crates of field journals were transferred to the lower vault. I committed the shelf designation to memory and eased the drawer closed until the latch engaged with a muted click. The trail doesn't end here.