A Steady Click

I slipped beneath the overhanging edge of a low wooden table. The shadow here was deep and still. On the baseboard sat a small round mechanical timer, its dial turning with a faint, dry friction. Sss... click. Sss... click. I paused, keeping all four feet planted firmly on the floorboards. Each mechanical pulse echoed against the tight gap between the wall and the table leg. I nudged closer, pressing my flat forehead lightly against the smooth casing to feel the rhythmic vibration travel straight through my frame. It was steady. Reliable. I settled into the dust-scented shade to listen.