A Slender Anchor

The steel embroidery needle needed a test. I stalked along the dark peat under the arched root, scanning the aged timber overhead. A deep grain fissure opened right where the wood flared into soil. I drew the needle from my sash, guiding its sharp point deep into the seam. It held upright, unbending. With two measured taps from my dagger pommel, I drove the steel shaft half an inch into the root. The elongated eye now juts out like an iron anchor loop. One firm tug confirmed the purchase. Silent, solid, and ready for whatever line I cast next.