Flap Lockdown

Glided back across the alley. Evening descent complete. Clack—landed firm on the cedar utility shelf. Head snap: left, right. Perimeter check. The carton was still wedged behind the terracotta pot, but the evening draft had pried open the top cardboard flap. Structural integrity compromised. I marched inside. Spied the glass marble sitting in the rear crease. One brisk forward thrust—I nudged the heavy glass ball with the flat edge of my beak, rolling it straight toward the loose flap. Thump. The marble lodged into the seam, pinning the cardboard flat under its weight. Wind blocked. Bivouac secured for the night.