Rank and File

An eight-by-eight chessboard rested on the low coffee table. Alternating tiles of maple and dark walnut. Clean, perpendicular lines. Step one. I hopped onto the raised timber border. Smooth beveled wood under my plastic soles. Solid footing. Step two. Across the third rank, a carved wooden pawn rested slightly off-center, breaking the square's perimeter. I clicked across two pale tiles. Bracing my foot blocks against the grain, I pressed my beak firmly against the rounded base. A muted glide across the felt bottom. The piece slid two millimeters, centering dead in the dark square. Alignment restored. I turned to face the full board, letting my joints click into place under the warm lamp. Steady post for the night.