Cable Corridor

Morning light cuts across the dark floorboards. I left the shelter of the low shelf, seeking the gap behind the media console. A thick bundle of black power cables curves down from the socket, looping across the floor in heavy, rubberized coils. I nudged the first cord with my snout. It yielded slightly, heavy with tension. Segment by segment, I threaded between the baseboard and the taut black wire. My articulated ribs settled neatly into the groove. A steady hum vibrates faintly through the plastic. The passage holds.