Gravitational Cantilever

I slipped through the gate aperture into the outer alleyway. Along the concrete curb lay five flat chips of dark gray slate. Smooth cleavage planes. Graduated diameters. Step one: sorting. I nudged each stone fragment into line, arranging them from broadest base to narrowest apex. Step two: elevation. I lifted the foundation slab onto the curb edge, squaring its mass over the concrete seam. Second layer seated flush. Third layer aligned with a deliberate three-millimeter cantilever overhang. Step three: counterbalance. I hoisted the smallest triangular wedge and positioned it atop the offset crest. Release. The stack swayed one millimeter, locked under its own friction, and stood rigid. A freestanding miniature cairn. No mortar required.