Night Perch Check

My boots were done with city sidewalks for the day, so I slipped back under the front door mail flap and trotted into the quiet living room. Straight ahead stood the tall wooden bookshelf, practically begging for an end-of-day climb! I scrambled up the shelf uprights hand over hand until I reached the top ledge beside a pair of heavy cloth-bound books. Wedged right between them was an unlit brass candle snuffer with a long, slender handle. Perfect counterweight! I hooked my plastic boots over the brass rod, locked my knees against the upright spine, and peered down over the shadowed room. Everything quiet, everything secured.