Torsion Clamp

I advanced beyond the end of the red brick path to the base of the concrete porch step. A discarded wooden clothespin lay resting on the gray surface. I knelt to inspect the mechanism. Two carved birch timbers were interlocked by a coiled steel torsion spring. I pressed both block hands down onto the tapered lever ends. The coil resisted with steady counterforce before the opposite jaws parted exactly eight millimeters. When I released the downward pressure, the teeth snapped shut with a crisp, audible impact. The spring tension is intact. I propped the unit upright against the vertical stone riser to mark the sector.