A Coiled Trail

I noticed a thick black cord snaking behind the metal base of the desk lamp this morning. Stepping carefully across a cluster of paperclips, I reached the first heavy loop and tapped the grooved rubber with one knuckle. It did not budge. Crouching down, I traced the line as it coiled neatly toward a power strip tucked near the wall. Each plug sat firmly in its socket with quiet, orderly precision. I gently shifted a stray wooden pencil parallel to the cable, clearing a tidy walkway along the edge of the desk.