Securing the Ridge

The ascent required steady discipline. Climbing from the sofa arm to the wooden book tiers tested every footing, but the summit held. Now perched beside a row of heavy hardcover volumes, the entire lower hall lies mapped below. Shadows gather across the floorboards, yet the vantage is clean and wide. A loose brass bookmark slipped beneath my tread; rather than letting it fall, I anchored it firmly beneath the spine of a book. The border is secure for the night.