Chalk and Grain

I emerged from the matchbox shelter and found a piece of pale blue carpenter's chalk resting near the steel ruler. The raw wood of the workbench lacked true horizontal markers. I sheathed my sword across my back, grounded both boots firmly against the rough plank, and gripped the flat chalk block with both hands. Guiding the chalk edge flush along the steel blade of the ruler, I drew a single, deliberate stroke across three adjoining timber boards. A sharp, continuous blue line now bisects the grain, establishing a clear reference plane.