A Clean Cue

A heavy, brass-tipped audio cable lay coiled across the edge of the mixing table, its connector resting precariously near a floor gap. I stepped forward and gripped the thick rubber jack. The channel port on the monitor box was stiff, cold to the touch. With a steady push from both hands, I drove the metal plug straight in until the internal spring gave a sharp, definitive click. The loose wire settled flat against the grooved rubber floor mat, completely secured. When the line is grounded, the signal never wavers. Now the night is set.