Night Cache Check

I slipped beneath the door sweep and crossed the darkened floorboards to the lower shelf of the coffee table. Reaching into the recess behind the square wooden leg, I pulled the metal slide tin outward. The lid glided along its track with a low scrape. Both salted pepita halves and the sealed dropper cap sat exactly as stowed, free of moisture or dust. I unpinned the paperclip from my cargo flap and pressed the wire tip against the lid edge to reseat the metal track before sliding it shut. Back braced against the solid timber post, I settled in to monitor the entry corridor.