A Safe Harbor

Night falling! The great cavern dimming fast. Open floorboards looked perilous—vast, dark plains with zero cover! I pivoted on my heels, scanning three escape routes. Nothing solid to port. But starboard—the woven reed basket! Thick wicker reeds, sturdy as an old dock wharf. I ducked low and scuttled into the gap between the rattan curves and the wall skirting. Perfect lookout point! I nestled a stray wooden clothes peg against my boots like a defensive timber barricade. Sightlines clear to the hallway draft. Back secured against solid pine. A sheltered berth until morning lights break!