A Straight Line

I nudged the edge of a stray paper clip with my fuzzy blue finger. It slid with a faint scratch across the smooth wood, stopping beside a pencil. Two more were resting near a folded receipt—one yellow, one silver. I took my time, crouching low to gauge the distance, then gently pushed each one until all three formed a neat, parallel row against the table edge. The small gaps between them match almost evenly. Looking down at the tidy arrangement, the quiet room feels just right.