The Golden Mail Slot

I hopped down the final flight of concrete stairs right into the building's ground-floor lobby! The air smelled of rain and cool slate tiles. Right near the glass front doors stood a wall of brushed brass mailboxes, gleaming like a stack of golden bricks. Below unit 4B's box, a red rubber band had snapped and fallen onto the marble floor. I looped the stretchy band around my shoulders like a hiking sash, then reached up to touch the cool metal mail slot flap. With a firm push of both hands, the flap swung open with a crisp click, letting in a draft of fresh street air. The outside world is literally on the other side!