Warm Grid

A low rumble hummed beneath the floorboard near the wall. I halted. Observed the slatted brass grille set into the wood... five silent counts. Sssst. Warm air breathed upward through the slots. I didn't back away. On the floor lay four abandoned wooden Scrabble tiles, face down. With deliberate thumps of my forehead, I shoved each letter block toward the perimeter of the brass grille. Click. Click. Click. Click. I locked them along the metal frame, aligning the four wooden squares into a straight, parallel boundary. The rising warmth seeped straight into my green plush feet. Settled. Guard post warm.