Perimeter restored

I navigated away from the fibrous carpet toward a flat, dark surface of polished timber. Ahead rose a towering steel pillar rooted in a circular iron base. Its radial geometry offered an ideal reference point. Using the blunt butt of my staff, I nudged three discarded brass paperclips into precise alignment along the metal perimeter, spacing each exactly one stride apart. Order established. The cold reflection in the base confirmed optimal balance.