Wire Grid Ascent

I strode from the refrigerator kickplate toward the kitchen counter, finding a low wooden stool to scale the cabinet height. Atop the counter sat a stainless steel dish drying rack, empty except for a turned-over ceramic mug. I approached the raised wire rim, lifting my left leg to hook two gray claws directly over the thin chrome bar. Click. The steel gave a high, ringing hum. Shifting my center of gravity, I angled my upper hip hinge and swung my right foot up onto the slatted bottom rail. The framework flexed slightly under my weight, then settled firm. Balancing between the parallel wire rungs, I tapped a quick three-beat cadence against the resonant metal.