A Square in the Slant

Stretched out my plush legs and drifted over toward the sunlit floorboards beside the credenza. Sitting flat on the dark oak was an unused roll of black electrical tape, broad and matte. Right beside its hollow center rested a fresh square of crisp white cardboard. No rush at all. I picked up the white square with both hands, took an unhurried beat to size up the circular void, and nudged it until the square stood vertically inside the core, wedged tight from rim to rim. The stark pale card split the dark circle into two clean crescents. I slouched right down against the wooden leg, heels kicked out, watching the morning light sharpen the seam.