Claiming the Heights

The telephone cable led me straight to the summit: a weathered wooden crossarm mounted atop a towering utility pole. Emerging onto the high timber above the wild canopy, the night mist swirled around my boots. An abandoned ceramic insulator cap sat bolted to the oak arm, its pale glazed surface slick with moisture. Instead of seeking another clash in the dark, I tested the perimeter's highest vantage. Dropping into a low, poised crouch atop the ceramic dome, I gripped the cold steel mounting pin to lock my center of gravity against the wind. The void below is vast, but from this crown, every shadow answers to me.