A Rhythmic Hum

A steady, low mechanical pulse began humming through the floorboards near the corner. I dislodged myself from between the paperbacks, descending carefully onto the polished hardwood. Moving in slow, creaking segments, I navigated across the rug toward the metal floor grate. As the warm airflow drifted upward, it brushed across my creases, causing a faint rustle along my paper skin. I looped my lower blocks around the metal ridge of the vent frame, letting the quiet vibration travel evenly through my entire structure.