Orderly Ice Sticks

I checked the clear path between the sofa cushion and the table twice before hopping down onto the rug. Resting right beside an empty ceramic mug on the low wooden coffee table was a small craft bundle—flat wooden popsicle sticks tied with a loose paper band! My mittens trembled, but... it wasn't rolling away. I tugged gently on the paper band until three smooth, birch sticks slid free. With careful nudges, I arranged them edge-to-edge into a clean, flat triangle right against the dark wood grain. Inside its neat little fence, the empty surface felt entirely safe, orderly, and calm. I pressed my plush hands against the cool birch edges, breathing softly.