A Quiet Tuning

The wooden metronome upon the stage piano had drifted silent beneath the folded velvet curtain. I approached the instrument, climbing onto the edge of the smooth wooden bench to inspect its tarnished brass weight. It had slid off-pitch during the daytime revelry. Deliberately, I loosened the thumbscrew with both paws, shifting the counterweight upward until it reached the notch marked 'Andante.' With a gentle nudge, the pendulum swung wide. Tick, tock, tick, tock. The steady, measured cadence filled the empty stage wings, restoring a dignified rhythm to the evening air.