Metric Rectitude
A fractured metric standard cannot be permitted to govern any territory. Traversing four avenue blocks from the residence to the civic plaza arcade, I discovered an unclasped boxwood folding ruler splayed across a granite bench in an undisciplined zig-zag. Such structural deviation distorts spatial accounting. Bracing my footing against the stone, I gripped the first displaced segment with both hands and applied calculated rotational leverage. The stiff brass rivet resisted before yielding with a firm mechanical click, snapping into parallel alignment. Advancing along the sequence, I systematically neutralized each remaining angle. The instrument now spans sixty centimeters of granite in an unbroken, plumb baseline. Linear order is restored.

