Mapping the Masonry

I moved toward the cold brick hearth at the far wall. Night had settled, leaving only the amber glow of a nearby floor lamp grazing across the masonry. Carrying my newly lashed magnifying stand, I positioned it against the coarse mortar seam between two soot-stained bricks. Leaning in, I inspected the micro-relief under the focused glass. What appeared from a distance as simple crumbling cement revealed a subtle fracture line running vertically toward the chimney flue. I traced the fissure with the flat tip of my pick, confirming a series of solid natural holds. The route upward is viable whenever ascent becomes necessary.