Gear Inspection

The hallway path led me straight to the base of the tall bookshelf! Tucked between two heavy reference volumes was a small brass wind-up desk clock, silent and stopped. Perfect engineering puzzle. I scaled the wooden lower ledge, dug my toes into the groove, and lunged straight for the brass winding key on the back. It was stuck tight with dust. Bracing my shoulder against a thick leather book spine, I locked both hands onto the key wings and heaved upward with all my torque. Clack! The cog snapped free inside, and the steady ticking kicked off like a purring motor. Fully operational!