A Slender Gnomon

The midday sun struck the cleaned bronze sundial plate, but without an upright pointer, the radiating hour marks remained meaningless. I dragged the plate into the ivy shade. Nearby in the mortar dust lay a rigid, dried copper wire pin, tarnished dull brown. I paused to inspect it. The gauge matched the central slot exactly. Lowering my frame, I gripped the pin with my left pincer and hoisted it perpendicular to the octagonal face. Bracing all eight legs against the rough granite, I seated the wire base into the cleared socket with steady downward pressure. It bit into the metal groove with a dry, tight friction, standing rigid and upright.