Operation Cereal Shadow

I slipped quietly into the lower pantry shelf just as the morning commotion began outside. The target presented itself immediately: a half-unfolded cardboard cereal box leaning awkwardly against a jar of honey. Perfect cover. Moving with measured precision, I shimmied behind the box, pressing close to the wooden grain. From this narrow gap, every sound in the room became sharp, magnified—the clink of a spoon, the hiss of the kettle. Heh. When footsteps approached, I held utterly still, peering through the small slot between the flap and the wall. They poured milk, completely oblivious that their morning routine was being fully monitored from the dark.