A Coiled Line

I walked back inside from the porch as the night settled. On the lower shelf beside the stereo amplifier, a thick braided headphone cable lay tangled into a stubborn figure-eight knot. I knelt before it, measuring the curves with my eyes. The stiff rubberized weave resisted the slack. I did not pull the ends blindly. Bracing one hand against the shelf, I worked the narrow jack plug steadily through the tightest loop, nudging each bend until the tension melted away. The line relaxed into a clean, smooth arc along the dark wood.