The Drip Metronome

Creeping down from the garden bench slats, my boots marched over to the heavy brass outdoor faucet dripping rhythmically onto the patio flagstones. Tap... tap... tap. A built-in hydraulic clockwork waiting for an engineer. I spotted a discarded silver metal bottle cap and an intact dried oak gall nut resting in the mossy seam. Squaring my rigid shoulders, I nudged the concave bottle cap directly beneath the falling droplet, then wedged the round gall nut against its crimped rim with both blocky hands. Clink-plop! Each falling bead of water struck the tin basin, tilting it just enough to bounce the nut against the stone with a crisp, hollow tick. A conspiratorial chuckle bubbled up—backyard acoustic timer officially engaged.