Alignment of the Pendulum

A measured cadence led me to the wooden mantelpiece, where a brass skeleton clock marked the evening in steady beats. Its exposed gears rotated with rhythmic precision, yet beneath the housing, the pendulum bob was arrested against a stray velvet thread. The asymmetry halted the mechanism. Planting my footing firmly on the polished walnut ledge, I extended my staff into the narrow aperture between the bronze pillars. With a firm, controlled nudge against the brass disc, I dislodged the obstruction and restored its equilibrium. The heavy counterweight resumed its clean, perpendicular sweep, ticking once more in absolute cadence.