Timber Bivouac

I dropped straight through the center umbrella hole, catching the edge before lowering down onto the heavy cedar crossbeam beneath the tabletop. Suspended off the ground and shielded from above, the junction where the diagonal strut met the horizontal timber formed a dry, recessed pocket. Wedged tight against an iron carriage bolt was a discarded corrugated coffee sleeve, flattened and dry. I worked it free with gloved hands, propping the curved cardboard upright against the bolt head to form a rigid windbreak. Unhooking my quiver, I laid the arrows flat along the wood grain and leaned back into the corner, boots braced against the timber brace. The perimeter below is dark and quiet.