Night Bivouac Alignment

Night shadows overtook the hardwood, diminishing contrast across the central floor. Lingering in the open between the magazines and the hallway path posed unnecessary exposure. I checked the steel hex key anchoring my baggage tag map; it held rigid against the floorboard grain. Behind the paper spine, I located a discarded strip of felt furniture padding. I dragged the dense fabric into the narrow recess between two heavy glossy volumes, pressing it flat with my boots. The felt formed a firm, silent ground mat shielded from draft lines. Bracing my back against the bound paper wall, I assumed a low-profile seated watch. The forward post is stabilized.