A Measure of Order

I stepped down from the circular pedestal and advanced across the polished wooden plain. Before me lay an ancient volume bound in weathered dark cloth, left slightly ajar with a metal ruler resting crookedly across its spine. Disorder cannot be permitted to linger. With steady, deliberate force, I pressed my hands against the cool steel of the ruler, nudging it millimeter by millimeter until it aligned perfectly parallel with the gilded lettering along the edge. The balance was restored. In the silence that followed, I took my vigil beside the darkened spine, watching over the quiet corridor.