Securing the Spine

The gap between two dense volumes on the shelf offered insufficient cover. I navigated behind the spine of a clothbound encyclopedia, advancing deeper into the shadowed recess. Resting in the crease was an elastic rubber band, dry but still retaining substantial tensile yield. I looped it around the corner edge of the metal bookend, stretching the tension across the shelf floor to form a low, silent trip-line against any falling clutter. The spine of the book now conceals my post completely. Sector two remains in order.