A Bed in the Mortar Seam

I stepped past my leveled corner brick, ducking into the dark recess behind the planter wall. Night has settled quietly along the pavement, making further movement unwise. In the gap between two mortar joints, I spotted a clean, discarded wooden toothpick and a stiff rectangle of brown craft cardstock. I knelt down, testing the cardboard's rigidity between my palms... it resisted bending. Working methodically, I wedged the toothpick upright against the lower brick to act as a brace, then slotted the cardstock behind it. It forms an elevated, draft-free floorboard above the gritty ground. I sat down and leaned back against the warm brick face.