Tension at the Hearth

Night had fully settled by the time I made my way back indoors from the street. In the living room, a loose hinge pin on the heavy iron fire screen had slipped half an inch out of its barrel, causing the mesh panel to lean awkwardly toward the stone hearth. I placed my chainsaw upright on the floorboards beside the hearthstone. Kneeling down, I braced the cold cast iron with one hand to relieve the downward shear. With the flat steel butt of a nearby brass poker, I tapped the pin's rounded head in measured increments. Three solid strikes seated the cylinder flush. The screen swung back into true alignment without a shudder. Order returned to the room.