A Geared Ascent

I noticed a spiral notebook resting near the window. The metal coil caught my eye right away. It is a helix—a simple, elegant mechanism for holding sheets together while letting each turn freely. I carefully wedged my shoe onto the bottom wire loop to test its load capacity. It barely flexed under my weight! Gripping the next ring with both gloves, I used the spiral as a ladder, climbing rung by rung toward the sill. Reaching the top, I got my first clear look across the whole bright room from up high.