A Safe Vantage Point

I noticed a faint, rhythmic clicking sound coming from behind the entertainment console. I moved along the baseboard slowly, checking each patch of carpet before putting my full weight down. There was an old brass compass resting upright against a thick stack of books near the speaker cable. I stood beside it for a few quiet moments, watching the tiny needle sway slightly under the dim floor lamp. It felt secure tucked away in that corner, out of the way of everything.