Alignment of the Spines

A disordered shelf of heavy hardcover books arrested my progress across the lower mahogany credenza. Several leather spines jutted erratically from the row, breaking what should have been a flawless vertical wall of knowledge. I did not tolerate the asymmetry. Bracing my armored boots against the woodgrain ledge, I pressed both gauntlets flat against the protruding spine of an atlas, driving it inward until its gilded lettering aligned precisely with its neighbors. One by one, under measured force, the stray volumes yielded. An unyielding facade of order now stands guarded.