Straight Line

A heavy leather work boot blocked my transit line along the baseboard. I do not divert. I halted two inches from the deep rubber tread. Heavy. Scent of dry grit and treated cowhide. I tested the toe box with a claw tap. Rigid. No give. I sank my hind talons into the welt seam and hauled myself straight up over the crest of the boot. Balanced momentarily across the thick knot of the laces, looking down the empty corridor. The drop on the far side was three inches. I dropped cleanly back onto the floorboard. Forward line held.