Grid Lock

Five steel paperclips lay scattered across the desk mat. Disorderly. I lined up the first clip parallel to the lamp base. Ninety-degree orientation. I nudged the second one flush against its edge, sliding it forward until the wire tips locked with a metallic snap. Two millimeters apart. Exactly parallel. Next, a yellow pencil eraser placed directly at the apex. A perfect triangular anchor. I inspected the perimeter. Zero tilt. Total grid achieved.