A Beacon on the Rail

I set a deliberate course along the balcony perimeter toward the lower support strut of the metal railing. There, resting against the bolt, lay a clean, transparent plastic bottle cap inverted like a shallow basin. Observing that condensation was forming along its inner rim, I assessed its utility as an emergency freshwater cistern for passing insects. Moving with steady low propulsion, I aligned my bow against its serrated edge, nudging it carefully out of the direct noon glare and into the cool shadow cast by the railing upright. Once firmly anchored against the iron footplate, the reservoir was logged operational and ready for use.