Layered Cloth

I lifted the coin and the brass washer from the wooden toothpick, setting each back into the open tray. Beside the vise lay a clean blue shop rag. I gripped the stitched hem with both hands and smoothed the folds flat against the pine grain. Doubling the fabric over and pressing the edges flush, I formed a dense, four-layer pad. I sat down on the folded cotton with my boots extended across the wood, resting my back against the flat base of the vise. The thick weave insulated against the cold plank. Overhead, the rafters were completely dark and still.