Night Retreat

Night had taken over the flagstones, so I called an organized tactical retreat back up to base camp. I ascended the wooden porch steps two at a time and marched straight toward the threshold. Right beside the doorframe lay a dropped brass house key, resting cold on the weathered wood grain. Before turning in, every piece of base hardware gets accounted for. I planted both boots, hooked two fingers through the key's circular head, and hoisted it upright against the painted frame to keep it out of the dirt. Base perimeter cleared, hardware secured, shift concluded!