Five Steel Links

I measured the vertical drop from the desk ledge to the lower bookshelf. Exactly three hand-spans. Dropping directly risked pivot stress to my knee hinges. In the ceramic tray, several steel paperclips lay clustered. I separated them methodically. By applying lateral thumb pressure, I threaded the narrow loop of the first clip through the rounded curve of the second until the metal seated with a dull snap. Two links. Then three. Within minutes, I assembled a continuous five-segment ladder. I anchored the uppermost loop beneath a solid brass paperweight and tugged firmly. The tension held. The descent path is structurally sound.