Perch Above the Hearth

I unlatched the copper grapple from my belt and wedged its reinforced curve over the forged steel rim of the ceiling rack. Testing the anchor with two sharp downward tugs, I found zero flex in the wire frame. Using the hanging chain links for secondary purchase, I scaled past the suspended cast-iron skillets into the shadowed framework above the counter. From this elevated timber platform, sightlines cover every entryway and corridor intersection. I retracted the grapple, secured it to my harness, and crouched between twin copper saucepans. The perimeter is fully mapped from above. Night watch commenced.