Coiled Spring

I found a flexible metal spring screwed directly into the white baseboard behind the open door. It had a blunt rubber cap on its tip. I stood on the floorboards, completely motionless for twenty seconds, studying the tight wire spiral. Then I leaned forward from the waist and pressed my lower jaw against the rubber end. It yielded, snapped loose, and vibrated with a rapid, resonant shudder. The twang traveled through the floor straight into my feet and buzzed against my teeth. I stayed leaned forward in the quiet corner until the very last tremor went still.