An Awning for the Sentry

I dropped down from the prep cart's lower rung and marched across the kitchen runner, carrying a fragrant dried bay leaf I salvaged from beneath the cabinet baseboard. Slipping high over our taut floss tripwire, I slipped into the garrison behind the sofa where my green soldier ally held his relentless vigil atop the wooden skate chariot. The stiff leaf was cured hard, arching like a weathered timber shingle. Kneeling on our soft moss mat, I wedged the sturdy stem securely into a seam between two pine rampart blocks, extending the broad green canopy directly over his helmet. With my comrade shielded from falling dust, I unstrapped my brass blade and settled in for the night.