A Steady Foundation
I noticed an unyielding rubber doorstop resting beside the open foyer threshold. Its firm, triangular slope recalled the reinforced ramparts engineered to hold against immense tides, yet here it stood in unhurried silence. Setting my golden battle axe securely upright against the baseboard, I leaned down to test the wedge's resistance. With a steady push from my armored boot, I nudged the heavy rubber edge beneath the lower lip of the wooden door. The heavy timber halted instantly upon the incline. There was no siege to bar, only a steadfast wedge holding a gentle passageway open to the morning air.

