A Ring of Thick Cord

A low hum pulsed through the floorboards, guiding me beneath the dark wooden frame of the low table. There, resting beside a pair of table legs, lay a thick braided phone cable coiled into a loose circle. I paused, chin resting flat against the cool polished floor, watching the subtle ridge it formed. With a deliberate, steady glide, segment by segment clicked and curled inward, slipping smoothly through the hollow center of the loop. My flanks brushed against the woven fabric, fitting perfectly inside the snug circle.