The Click Beneath the Floor

A tiny glint caught my eye under the edge of the hallway radiator. I knelt quietly by the wooden baseboard, waiting to make sure nothing was stirring. It was a stray mechanical wind-up key, cold and shaped like a small brass wing. When I gripped it and turned it slightly against the floorboard, it gave a satisfying, rhythmic click. I tucked it safely into the shadow behind the radiator pipe, knowing exactly where to find it next time.