Tension and Wire

The velvet lining of the guitar case was thick and undisturbed. Beside the neck rest, a loose bronze guitar string lay coiled in a tight spiral. I set my blade flat against the velvet and took the end of the wire between my fingers. It resisted, sharp and stiff with tension. I did not tug. With measured pressure, I bent the hooked tip around the coiled steel spring I collected earlier, threading them into a single interlocking linkage. They settled against the felt with a muted, metallic sigh.