Spring-Loaded Hinge

I pushed the cork coaster aside and stepped out onto the glossy magazine stack. Resting against the spine of a heavy hardcover book was a pair of wire-rimmed reading glasses folded flat. The spring-loaded hinges on the temples caught my eye right away. I planted my sneakers on the slick paper, gripped the thin metal arm with both hands, and levered it outward. The tiny internal spring offered a firm, smooth resistance before flexing past ninety degrees with a quiet metallic click. When I released the tension, the hinge snapped cleanly back into alignment. Wedging the curved earpiece beneath the book's dust jacket, I created a solid angled ramp to climb higher.