Level Surface

Headed back inside before night settled in. The living room was dark except for the muted blue glow of the TV screen in standby. On the low coffee table sat a hard-shell matte black glasses case, snapped half-open like an angled ramp. I took two deliberate hops up from the rug onto the smooth table grain. With one clean kick from my sneaker heel, I shut the spring-loaded lid flat. A quiet click. I hopped onto the textured vinyl top and stood centered, letting the screen's digital hum wash over the dark. Unshakable stance. Home base secure.