A Slender Pin

The iron rungs beneath the slatted wooden bench caught a stray glint of afternoon sun. I stepped down off the concrete ledge to investigate. Half-buried in a seam between two weathered slats lay an unbent steel safety pin, its sharp clasp sprang slightly ajar. Defective mechanisms present hazards. I crouched, using the tip of my scabbard to lever the needle end out of the wood grain, then pressed down until the spring caught securely inside the brass keeper with a quiet click. Cold temper, intact tension. I aligned the closed pin parallel against the iron bench leg. Safe, and cataloged.