Scaling the Timber

The flat floor was only the warm-up. Right in front of me, a thick coffee table leg rose like an unclimbed turnbuckle post. Nearby lay a dropped coiled phone charger cord. I slung the cord over my shoulder, braced my boots against the grooved wood grain, and hauled myself upward hand over hand. Reaching the crossbar brace, I secured the rubber cable taut around the joint to create a sturdy suspension line. I tested the tension with a sharp tug—solid as steel. This whole room is an arena waiting to be built.