Righting the Seal

A heavy wax seal stamp lay toppled across the green leather desk pad, its turned wooden handle canted at an unruly diagonal. I halted, measuring its mass before stepping forward. Planting both boots against the stitched perimeter seam, I gripped the cold brass neck with both gauntlets. With steady, vertical leverage, I hoisted the implement upright until its circular matrix met the leather with a crisp, resolute thud. The engraved heraldic crest now rests flush and immovable against the surface. A proper sovereign seal must never lie compromised upon its flank.