Along the Grid

A quiet hum came from the desk lamp overhead. I walked across the wooden desk and stopped at the border of a green cutting mat. White lines crossed its surface at clean right angles, forming neat, identical squares. I paused to measure the distance, then set my left foot against the five-centimeter marking. My right foot followed, aligning parallel to the axis. The symmetry felt balanced and grounded. I stood still within the grid, listening to the steady electrical buzz.