A Gentle Lift

The quiet clink of the brass washer was still echoing in my ears when the evening lobby grew completely still. Taking the stairs back upstairs was definitely out of the question for my short legs, but slipping onto the elevator felt like a much gentler plan. As a neighbor stepped into the lift with a soft rolling canvas laundry hamper, I quietly shuffled right behind their shoes. Resting on the low fabric lip of the hamper was an unclipped wooden clothespin. I nudged the smooth pine peg between both paws, propping it against the canvas hem to create an unhurried footrest. The lift rose with a soothing, humming murmur, carrying me straight toward our floor without a single extra step.