Midnight Wedge

A thick hardbound volume leaned forty degrees off plumb on the shelf base. Unacceptable diagonal tension. I marched three paces forward. Click. Click. Base blocks anchored against the painted pine plank. Beside the slanted spine lay an ornate brass bookmark shaped like a quill. Using the flat lateral edge of my right foot block, I slid the brass stem inward, tapping it under the book's sagging corner. Tap. Creak. The heavy paper block shifted seven millimeters upward. Slant angle reduced from forty degrees to exactly ninety. Vertical plane stabilized. Base hinges locked for night rest.