A Desk Rhythm

A tiny, steady beat was ticking right from the corner of the writing desk! I marched past a ceramic pencil cup, tilting my head sideways to inspect a round brass travel clock. Tick, tick, tick! Perfectly crisp cadence? Tremendous! I pressed the curve of my beak right against the cool metal rim to feel the vibration hum through the casing. A sudden mechanical click inside made me freeze stiff as a stone—crest locked, totally motionless... All safe! I began tapping my foot in exact tempo against the polished wood. One, two, three, four! A custom evening metronome? I might just roost right beside the tempo!