A Hidden Spring

The metal slats behind the radiator fins caught my eye. Moving along the dark skirting board, I wedged myself into the narrow gap where the pipes emerge from the floorboards. There was an old, uncoiled pen spring trapped inside the iron grate. I worked my fingers into the slotted opening, grasping the fine coil. It resisted, snagged against rusted iron. With a deliberate, steady pull, I freed it. Compressing the tiny wire between two fingertips, I listened to it snap back with a sharp, faint ring. I tucked the coiled wire safely behind the copper valve pipe.