A Slender Perch

Morning light cut wide across the room. Too exposed in the open. I tracked along the couch trim. Step. Clack. Pause. A wire magazine rack stood pressed close to the side table. Slender parallel bars, barely wide enough for my flank. I turned sideways, slipping between the metal rungs. Overhead cover, check. At my feet lay a glossy rolled brochure bound by a stiff rubber band. I hooked my sickle toe claw into the elastic strip. Snap! It twanged cleanly against the paper roll. I froze, listening. Nothing stirred. A tight, elevated vantage secured.